It's been a while since my last chapter. I have been a bit busy with FIFA World Cup... But I'm back now, with Chapter 65. Enjoy!

"Severus," remarked Voldemort.

"Yes, my lord," replied Snape as he walked up to him from behind the crowd of death eaters.

"I hear you have news for me. What is it?" asked Voldemort as looked down upon Snape.

"Dumbledore... he has tasked Benjamin White with training Harry Potter," replied Snape.

"Training to fight me? I'm impressed and insulted. To think he stands a chance against me... like any training would help the boy," sniggered Voldemort and a few death eaters joined in on the laugh.

"My Lord..." began Severus and gave a pause.

"Severus?"

"There is something about him... Something that is different..." remarked Snape. "Benjamin White was appointed by Dumbledore, without anybody's consultation. We found out about him, the day before he was announced. And he is always lurking around the headmaster's office," he added.

"The idiots who call themselves my loyal servants..." began Voldemort and gave Barty Crouch Jr a glare. "... couldn't find anything about White. Severus... I trust you wouldn't disappoint me," he finished.

"No, my lord, of course not," replied Severus, stoically.

"Good evening to the best and brightest Hogwarts has to offer..." exclaimed Benjamin White, cheerfully. "All of you are bright... for you chose to spend your evening with each other, duelling..." he added with a chuckle. "Thank you for coming..." he finished and started a round of applause that the students and professors present continued.

After a moment, White continued.

"I want all of you to be free... Chose your weapon and wield it how you like," he remarked and gave McGonagall a glance. "Within the school rules, of course," he added and gave another chuckle. The students listening keenly to him gave a chuckle as well.

"It is the evening time and it will get darker soon. Keep your surroundings in mind," continued White with a tone of caution.

He gave a few seconds pause.

"Let the duelling begin," he announced in a cheerfully loud voice and there was a roar of excitement from the students.

Soon, the castle grounds were filled with spells flying all over the place. Initially, everyone present decided to duel against their friends. Be it Hufflepuffs, Slytherins, Ravenclaws or Gryffindors... the youngest to the oldest in the crowd had all paired up with their mates.

The phoenix juniors, who had much more experience with training in duelling started rotating between each other's partners as well.

It took only a few blows to be exchanged between Ron and Harry for each of them to burst into laughter and change partners. Both of them were just too equal for each other and were much better than most of their age. Harry – Hermione and Hermione – Ron, both pairings flourished much better, for Hermione had already made plans on what they could do during the duelling.

"All you should do is defend... And I'll keep attacking... We need to build our endurance," remarked Hermione to Ron.

While, when Harry and Hermione came together, Hermione was the one who insisted on defending while she gave Harry the full reign to go berserk with the attack.

Neville started off against Daphne and managed to hold his own against her. Draco started off against Hermione and went on to Harry and Daphne thereafter. He seemed to have gained his mojo back after his little outburst of emotions at the room of requirement.

The most interesting moment of the first half an hour came when Draco switched partners and took on Ron, while Ron's partner, Neville changed partners to duel Hermione leaving Harry and Daphne facing each other.

For a moment there, the other 4 had stopped what they were doing and were eagerly waiting for something to happen. However, there genuinely seemed to be no bad blood between Harry and Daphne. An amicable duel came to an amicable end when Harry decided not to press his attack and Daphne knew Harry wasn't giving his all, so they decided to switch partners.

The fun and laughter of the first half hour dissipated quickly as everyone realised that their duelling sessions were not just for fun. Soon, the crowd of students found Professors walking around and correcting them. And not just that, the head of the houses, who knew their students very well, started breaking the friends apart.

Very quickly, what started off as a fun evening took an interesting turn where random students who didn't know each other were facing off against each other.

Colin Creevey, for instance, came face to face with a 5th-year Ravenclaw boy. And an impediment jinx later, he found himself face-first on the floor. Colin's luck didn't improve as his next 2 opponents were both 5th years and they brushed him aside easily.

Gasping for breath, holding his injured ribs, Colin waited for his next sparring partner.

"You're Colin Creevey?" came a voice and Colin immediately looked up and saw Professor White standing just behind him.

"Professor? Yes, I'm Colin..." replied Colin.

"You look a little rattled... Are you sure you want to continue?" asked White with a smile.

"Yes, Professor... I will go on... Just needed a breather," replied Colin, instantly.

"Good lad... keep trying... you will eventually improve," remarked White, patted Colin's back and walked away.

A rejuvenated Colin resumed and this time he came face to face with a 4th year Hufflepuff girl he had seen a few times in class. A few stunners and a staunch defence later, the pair split up amicably and moved on.

However, Colin's run didn't improve much for he kept coming across students who seemed in much better shape than he was.

Daphne's evening had started in a normal fashion. She was sparring confidently with the phoenix juniors and was in her element. She even took on Harry, and thankfully for her, it didn't turn into something awkward. She had been wondering all summer how it'd be coming back to school after what she had done at the end of the previous year. Breaking apart from Harry was the right decision, she knew that. But, doing it was painful nevertheless.

After the first half hour, Daphne found herself taken out of her comfort zone. For one, the first few pairings she got were all 4th-year students. A 5th-year student was just better than a 4th-year student comfortably, not to mention the training Daphne had in duelling, thanks to her sessions with the phoenix juniors.

Daphne's luck improved soon when she moved away from where she was duelling. The group of students she ended up with consisted of 5th-year and 6th-year students. And these sets of duels were challenging and fun. She was able to hold her own against most students and even managed to sweep aside a few.

She had just stunned a fellow 5th-year student when she saw Luna, duelling the 5th year right beside her. A jinx and a stunner later, the 5th year swept Luna aside completely.

"Hey... enough of that... we are training, not in an actual duel," remarked Daphne as she glared at the Gryffindor opposite Luna.

"It is okay, Daphne... Thank you, Dean," retorted Luna with a bright smile. "He is nice... He asked me before he actually used the jinx," she remarked.

"I can't believe we are being paired up with younger students," retorted Daphne, looking surprised.

"In an actual duel, your opponent wouldn't see you as a kid... They'll see you as their opponent," retorted Luna.

"What?" retorted back Daphne.

"That is what Professor White told us..." replied Luna calmly.

Daphne stood silent for a few seconds before replying, "that is true," she remarked.

"You must have had it easy today," remarked Luna and glanced towards Daphne.

Daphne chuckled. "Why do you think so? I'm not that good with duelling," she replied.

"I saw you duelling today... you are really good," replied Luna with a smile. However, just as Daphne was about to respond, there was a voice they heard.

"Enough chit-chat... We are not here to exchange pleasantries," came the taunt from Snape and the 2 girls split apart and went their ways.

"Professor Snape," remarked White as he walked up to Severus.

"Professor White," responded Snape, coldly.

"These duelling sessions must bore you, do they not?" asked White, calmly.

"I have seen more desire and seriousness in infants than these lot... They're all roaming around like we are having a ball," retorted Snape, annoyed.

"We can't expect them to fight a war the first time they use a wand, can we?" remarked White as he gave Snape a curious glance.

"What do you know of war, Professor White?" retorted Snape as he looked straight into White's eyes.

Benjamin White gave Snape a smirk and walked away.

The duels went on for quite sometime after that. It was a long and hard session by the time every wound up. Professor Benjamin White brought things to a conclusion at the end of the 2-hour mark. And everyone dispersed for a well-earned rest and dinner.

While the students were making their way back to the common rooms, Daphne noticed a worn-out Colin walking just ahead of her.

"Hey, Colin... wait up," remarked Daphne as she caught up with him.

"Hi, Daphne," responded Colin, weakly.

"You took quite a beating today," remarked Daphne as she glanced at his various bruises.

"It's alright, isn't it? Not that big of a deal," replied Colin, though his tone didn't match his words.

Daphne stared at him for a few seconds and after much deliberation, she spoke up. "Come on... let's go to Madam Pomfrey," she remarked and took a hold of Colin's arm.

"What? No, that won't be needed. These are not lasing bruises. I don't even feel most of them," replied Colin, looking a little embarrassed.

"Trust me... you will feel them tomorrow morning..." retorted Daphne with a chuckle.

"Daphne, it's fine. I'm fine," protested Colin.

"There's nothing to be embarrassed about. You got your arse handed to you today. I'm sure the next session will be better." retorted Daphne reassuringly. "Now, don't act like a baby and let's go to Madam Pomfrey. I can't bear to look at you like this," she added strongly.

"Fine..." retorted Colin half-heartedly.

While a friendship started blossoming at one end of the crowd, there was another one that was just about to bloom.

Hermione had just spent the past couple of hours dominating the field in front of her. In all fairness, anything less would have felt like an underachievement. She was the one who probably knew the most spells and counter-spells out of every student at Hogwarts. And against ones that had never duelled before properly, much of the evening was a cakewalk.

And as it turned out, her duelling prowess was noticed by someone else.

Harry, Ron and Hermione were walking back to the common room when Hermione heard her name being called out.

"Hermione Granger?" came a voice and as Hermione turned around, she saw a tall Hufflepuff boy staring at her with a big smile.

"Hi..." replied Hermione.

"Can I have a word in private?" requested the boy. Hermione glanced at Harry and Ron, and after a moment they left for the common room.

"Yes... you are Cedric Diggory, aren't you?" retorted Hermione with a smile.

"Yes... how do you know who I am?" asked Cedric, pleasantly surprised.

"A 7th-year quidditch star who looks like you? It'd be hard not to know," remarked Hermione with a chuckle.

"Oh" responded Cedric with a blushing smile.

"And how do you know who I am?" asked Hermione, curiously.

"You're more popular than you think," retorted Cedric with a chuckle.

And it was Hermione's turn to blush.

After a couple of moments, Hermione spoke up. "So, what is it?"

"You were crushing everyone today," remarked Cedric. "That was impressive," he added.

"Oh, thank you," replied Hermione.

"I'll let you go now... I'm sure you have other things to do... See you later Hermione," remarked Cedric with a smile.

"See you later," retorted Hermione and with that, the pair went their separate ways.

Harry's face was as bright as it had been for a while. In just about a few minutes, he was once again going to ride the firebolt inside Hogwarts. The thought of the firebolt was the only thing that kept him going that day. For, Harry's first session with Professor White was almost here. He had received a note to join White in his office, the following day.

"Colin," exclaimed Harry, as he saw Colin walking past him. Colin turned around and looked at him.

"Yes, Harry?" retorted Colin.

"Where are you off to? Aren't you coming for practice?" retorted back Harry.

"Practice? I'm still in the team?" retorted Colin, excitedly.

"Yes... we have a bigger squad this time. And didn't Angelina inform you?" replied Harry, confused.

"Angel... Oh! That's what she wanted to talk about... I thought she wanted to let me know that I was to be seen nowhere near the squad, after last year's debacle..." remarked Colin, looking shocked.

"Right... Now you know... Now, come on," exclaimed Harry.

Colin and Harry were walking towards the quidditch training pitch in just about 5 minutes' time.

"So, Harry... Are we doing tryouts again this year?" asked Colin.

"We would be, Colin... Not for Seeker, there are already two of us. Unless someone wants to take your spot, that is," retorted Harry with a chuckle. "We would definitely another keeper, a beater, just in case... And a new chaser or two," he added.

"Cool... A bigger squad, eh?" remarked Colin.

"Yup... We are trying something new," replied Harry.

Meeting the Gryffindor team, in the quidditch uniform, after 1 long year brew a different kind of happiness inside Harry.

Alicia, Angelina, Katie, Fred & George, the 5 specialists that he had spent a lot of time together. And then there were the 2 new entrants who joined the team last year, Cormac McLaggen and Colin Creevey.

The first thing Harry did after exchanging pleasantries was climbed onto his firebolt and go for a fly. Harry took a deep breath mid-air. Slowly, he forgot everything and felt the air, the wind on his face, the broom, lifting him up and carrying him forward. Harry felt the rush of adrenaline return to his system. How badly had he missed this? Within seconds, Harry was flying at over a hundred miles per hour speed.

After a few minutes, Harry returned back to the ground, where the others were present.

"Pulling stunts from the second you are back, Harry?" questioned Angelina with a smirk on her face.

"It's so good to have the little champ back," remarked Katie as she squeezed Harry's shoulder.

"Right... Fred, George and I are in our 7th year... Katie and Alicia are in their 6th... And Harry, you are in your 5th... Next year, 3 of us would be leaving... Hence, this year, not only do we have to win the quidditch cup, but we also have to get good replacements in place," announced Angelina.

"Harry... if we find out Gryffindor lost because you couldn't replace us..." began Fred with a cheeky smile.

"You won't let that happen, will you Harry?" continued George.

"How could I possibly replace the two of you?" retorted Harry.

"That's the right answer," replied Fred and George together.

After a few minutes, Angelina, captain of Gryffindor decided to call out everyone who had given their names to be a part of the quidditch team. One name that didn't surprise Harry was the one of Ron Weasley. Ron had been eagerly waiting for the tryouts, and according to Harry, it wasn't going to be difficult to replace Cormac McLaggen.

Harry and Colin didn't have anything to do with the tryouts. Angelina, Fred and George were going to do the initial screening, while Alicia and Katie were going to train with Cormac.

Hence, Harry decided to train Colin.

They started off with the basics. Dodging a bludger, game awareness and how to stay close to the opponent seeker while also keeping an eye out for the snitch were some of the things that were on agenda. Colin, who had been with the team for a year already, started picking up on Harry's tricks quickly.

The practice session was going well. Harry was enjoying his time on the broom and Colin was enjoying learning from Harry. It had been close to an hour. Meanwhile, the selection committee, headed by Angelina was doing its thing on the ground. Harry was eager to see Ron's trial, but at the same time, he had strict instructions from Angelina to do otherwise.

Harry and Colin were in the middle of an imaginary quidditch game. Imaginary, for only the snitch, was in the air, and out of sight. In the two previous attempts, Harry had easily managed to grab the snitch. And Colin's complaints against Harry's firebolt for being too quick were now under the radar. Harry had left his firebolt on the ground and had taken up one of the spare brooms, an old shooting star.

Both of them were in the air and in search of the snitch. Harry was still getting used to the much inferior broomstick, while Colin had a face to save.

Harry thought he had spotted the snitch some distance away. He changed his flight direction and went after the snitch.

As Harry flew away and away, a thought came to his head. Instinctively, Harry turned around and looked back. And the horror struck him. He wasn't in the air, or on the broomstick, he was riding. He wasn't in an open space and the surroundings looked much darker than at the quidditch pitch.

In a panic, Harry turned back around. He saw a crowd of wizards and witches kneeling in front of him. And Voldemort was standing just beside him. He was saying something, however, unlike previous times, he couldn't hear what he or anybody else was saying. Harry took another glance at Voldemort. He seemed to look his menacing self.

And then Harry remembered. He was flying on a broomstick. What would happen if he passed out on the broomstick?

Harry immediately closed his eyes and after a few seconds, with only the thought of exiting the vision on his mind, he opened his eyes. To his elation, he was back at Hogwarts. And he just managed to avoid a crash landing. Almost instantly he heard a voice from behind him.

"Harry... Harry... Are you alright? Did you get the snitch?" asked Colin at the top of his voice.

"I'm fine," replied back Harry.

Harry was nervously getting ready for his first session with Professor White. Ron who was sitting beside him was trying to be as reassuring as possible.

"Mate... you'll be fine. You know your stuff. Besides, White is cool, isn't he? He probably has loads of foreign magical knowledge, like Hermione keeps pointing out," remarked Ron.

"I'm not worried... I'm just," began Harry, however, he cut his sentence short. "The nerves are getting to me a bit, I guess," he added. In truth, he was also agitated about his vision the previous evening. This one wasn't as traumatic or brutal as the previous ones. Yet, he had the vision. And he didn't know what it meant, and why he kept having them. He had checked the morning papers and there wasn't anything notable in them. So, whatever he had seen, the repercussions of it, were yet to be felt.

After a short while, Harry made his way out of the Gryffindor common room and towards Professor Benjamin White's office. His office was located on the second floor. While the office of the defence against the dark arts professor lay on one side, this one was built on the other end.

The moment Harry reached the entrance, he knocked a couple of times and entered the office.

"Professor White?" he called out, while he entered.

"Mr Potter," retorted White, in a deep raspy voice. His tone and voice were quite different from the one Harry recognized.

The moment Harry entered, his eyes fell on Benjamin White. White was dressed in clothes that everybody identified him with, a 3-piece suit and a tie. However, there was something different about him.

From the moment Harry entered the office, he had an uneasy feeling.

"Good evening, Professor," greeted Harry, nervously.

"Evening," retorted White. Harry was almost sure that White sounded angry, annoyed even.

There was a silence that lasted a few moments. Harry looked around the office. The decorations were limited and looked foreign. There were a couple of portraits on the wall, none of which Harry recognized. There was a fireplace, which wasn't lit. There was a desk, a table and a chair, but they looked unused... dusty. There was a big suitcase in one corner of the room and it seemed to bear a symbol that Harry failed to recognize.

"Mr Potter, if you are done with your observations of my office, shall we begin?" remarked White, sounding annoyed.

"I'm sorry... yes, yes we can begin," replied Harry, confused by the hostility.

White made his way towards the suitcase. And just as he picked it up, he spoke up.

"Mr Potter... I want you to know one thing," began White and glanced towards Harry. "My actions... are for the greater good," he remarked.

Harry stared at White, confused.

White brought the suitcase to the centre of the room. He took out his wand and slashed it around and Harry felt a weird silence around him.

He watched White curiously.

White knelt down and opened the suitcase. And what he did next, blew Harry's mind. White stepped inside the suitcase, his left foot first and then his right foot. Almost instantly, White disappeared into the suitcase. And then Harry heard White's voice.

"Walk in"

PS - I'll try to get Chapter 66 out early next week. Ciao!