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Act III - Birth Of The Demon
Chapter 25: Finale
It was time for the duelling finals, between Daphne and Sue Li. Li was obviously the crowd's favourite, with her experience as a professional Under-17 duelist representing Britain two times in a row already. If anyone at Hogwarts was supposed to be skilled at silent casting, the clear bet would be on her.
Excluding Harry himself, that is.
On the flip side, Daphne was Harry's fiance, and everyone knew just how skilled Harry himself was. It was a no-brainer to think that he'd have given her some pointers to get the better off Li. He was the professor, yes, but outside of class, everyone knew just how much time they spent together. Plus, her most recent demonstration of the Greengrass Family craft was on everyone's minds. It was promising to be an exciting finale.
"So, professor," asked a cheeky Susan Bones. "Who are you betting on?"
Harry rolled his eyes. "I'm disappointed, Miss Bones. I'm the professor here. How can you even expect β"
Susan rolled her eyes.
"Fine," he consented. "I put two galleons on Daphne, but only because she'd give me the silent treatment otherwise. But don't tell her I told you that."
Susan snickered. "You're so whipped, Professor."
"Yeah, you know what they say," said Harry. "Happy wife, happy life."
Her smile faltered. "Yeah, it almost makes me wish I had been a little faster." Then she composed her expression and beamed at him. "But no hard feelings, Harry."
"Susan, you know Iβ"
"I know," she said. "By the way, you might want to know that everything is fine between Auntie and Mr. Black. There might have been some spells thrown around, but it turned out to be fine in the end."
Harry nodded. He had asked Andi about Sirius's relationship with Madam Bones. The last thing he wanted was to see Sirius's love life getting hampered because of him.
'I'm glad to hear that."
"If things do not change, I imagine there should be wedding bells on the horizon," said Susan, "because they're quite serious about things. Maybe right after things with the Ministry get a little under control, there could be something. Either way, you're kind of stuck with seeing me for the long haul."
"I'm already shuddering at the idea."
"Prat," said Susan, giggling. Then her grin faded, and a melancholic expression formed on her lips. Harry noted that the usually bubbly girl now appeared to be somewhat nervous, if her surreptitious glances at him, and occasionally at Daphne, and her slight fidgeting were any indication at all. Whatever was troubling her was serious. He wasn't sure how to help, but she was a friend, so he would do what he could.
"Something the matter?"
Susan bit her lip. "I think Auntie is also trying for things to go in my favour. You know, you and me."
Harry frowned. "I don't understand. You and me as inβ¦"
She met his eyes. "...yes. It's exactly what you think."
"Butβ¦" Harry struggled to find words. "Why? I mean, it's no secret what I have with Daphne and Fleur. You can't tell me that you'd even β"
"Forget it, Harry," she said, looking nervous. "It's a little complicated."
"I can do complicated," he replied, frowning. "Lay it on me."
Her answering smile wavered as she focused on whatever was troubling her. "You know that the Bones are traditionalists, right? Not exactly the Malfoy or the Dark Alliance kind, but not exactly the progressive kind either?"
He nodded. Technically, both House Bones and House Greengrass could be termed as 'Neutral'. The only difference was that House Greengrass held darker associations and were magical purists at heart that believed in Grindelwaldian ideology, while House Bones preferred to stay neutral, while being staunchly on the side of protecting their ancestry, their culture and traditions, while keeping an open eye for future developments. Neither House had any issues against muggleborns, but House Bones could be called a little too liberal, but that was probably because Amelia Bones was too caught up in her job as DMLE Director to be a polarising influence at the Wizengamot. And Susan was⦠well, still at school.
"Before this summer came along, House Bones was loosely affiliated with Houses Longbottom, Macmillan, Crouch, Ogdenβ¦ Traditionalist houses that often voted in Dumbledore's favour, and at times, stayed silent. The neutral jury. It wasn't a good place to be, because we had no polarising influence, and Auntie makes it a point to donate heavily to DMLE maintenance to counter Fudge's massive layoffs. Most of the Houses that came to work with us all had the same motive β they'd throw money to run the DMLE, and in return, Auntie would try to get them tax benefits. Not something she's very proud of, but it had to be done."
"And then," she looked him in the eye. "You came along."
At least she didn't describe him in the same vein as a natural disaster, which was a step-up from Fleur.
"Most Ancient and Noble House of Potter. A coalition between three Noble Houses β Potter, Black and Greengrass. Auntie saw her chance and took it, which is why she spoke to Sirius about subtly helping you in the trial, and then joined your faction. No wonder House Longbottom and Burke came rushing in. You are the Boy-Who-Lived, you have Dumbledore's support, but you also are allied to House Greengrass, who deals a lot with the darker side of the spectrum. And you're a polarising figure. I'm not saying this happened, but maybe that's part of the reason why Auntie wasn't against dating Sirius Black so soon after his return to society. Both of them have history, yes, but I think she was β is trying to make things a bitβ¦ stronger between House Bones and yours."
"You mean House Black."
"Black and Potter, to be exact," admitted Susan. "Like you, I'm the Lady of my House and the last of my line, especially if Auntie marries Mr. Black. Obviously, you and Greengrass have a deal, and she's going to be Lady Black, though, in name only, because she'll be taking care of her own family first. And I know you're dating Fleur Delacour, but Auntie thinks the Potter House Charter will not allow aβ¦."
"A β what?"
Susan swallowed. "A creature-born. A half-breed. But you're the Vessel of your Family Magic, and you've elevated your House to Noble status. I don't imagine the Charter has any say over yours. And that's exactly what I told Auntie."
Harry frowned, but said nothing.
"The thing is," said Susan, fidgeting. "Auntie is very pragmatic. She knows that it's simply a matter of time before the Dark Lord attacks everyone in public, and when that happens, she will be one of the first to be attacked. Ifβ if anything happens to her, the DMLE is crippled, and it will adversely affect things. For the Ministry, and forβ well, me. She doesn't want me to just try staying afloat with a group of weak Houses, always bending in the direction of the wind. I mean, I know you, and I know you never fail your friends, but I guess, in politics, it's all about contracts and alliances."
"And she thinks that marrying into House Potter would tie the House Bones to something strong?"
"...Yes," said Susan. "My family has much to offer, in terms of resources, if House Potter is interested in a deal, but I don't think you'd like that."
"You thought right."
Susan looked down. "The other traditionalists are kind of circling us at the moment. The Macmillans, the Cornfoots, the Browns, the Patils and the Changs⦠they know that it's only a matter of time before House Bones needs to make a drastic choice, and they are all after our resources. Social climbers, a lot of them. And honestly, I don't want to deal with that for the rest of my life. Politics is⦠just not my thing."
Harry would disagree. He thought that Susan had a good mind for politics. He had seen it in the way she subtly arranged situations to happen. The only difference between him and her, was that he lacked finesse, and often preferred the sledgehammer approach, while Susan was all about cloak and shadows and cat's paws behind closed doors. Twister than a plate of spaghetti β that was how Sirius had described it.
"It⦠umm, doesn't help that she knows that I have liked you since second year," she finished, her face imitating a tomato.
"Errrβ¦" said Harry, wondering what to say to that. "...Second year?"
"Yes," squeaked Susan. "It was, umm, after the entire Chamber of Secrets thing. I β I cannot believe how foolish I was back then. I stupidly believed everything that Justin and Ernie were blabbering about, and I thought you were the Heir of Slytherin like everyone else. But then Professor Dumbledore told everyone about what happened, and how you helped fight the Monster inside the Chamber to protect the school. I asked Auntie what happened and she gave me a full account. I β I cannot tell you how bad I felt. I mean, you're Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived. Your mother was a muggleborn. To think I was so stupid to blame you just because you could talk to snakes wasβ¦"
She vehemently shook her head, as if physically trying to shake her frustrations away.
"It's okay," Harry told her. Really, what else could he say?
"It's not," Susan denied fiercely. "I thought about trying to talk to you in third year, but then Sirius Black was out there, and Auntie thought that being around you would be dangerous. So she forbade me from getting close. I mean, what if Black tried to capture me and use me as a hostage?"
Harry did a double take. "You thought Sirius would kidnap you?"
Susan shrugged. "He was an Azkaban fugitive, and feared to be You-Know-Who's right-hand man. I'm the only niece of the DMLE Director. I've had to live through kidnapping attempts all my life. It's nothing new."
Harry opened his mouth but words failed him. He had never quite thought of things that way. Would he also have had to go through that, if he was raised in a proper household instead of the Dursleys? Kidnapped or killed by Death Eaters for vanquishing their Master?
"A part of me wanted to go ask you out for the Yule Ball. But I was afraid of being singled out in my House. Hufflepuff wasn't very forgiving of you for stealing Diggory's shine."
Harry laughed. "I'm aware of that. Though, I doubt they'd do anything to the DMLE Director's niece. I mean, Parvati went out with me."
"Hufflepuff, not Gryffindor," said Susan petulantly, to which both of them laughed.
"But trust me," said Harry. "You aren't missing out. I kind of spoiled Parvati's night."
"I heard you apologised."
"Recently, yes, but it was far too late. I think she was really excited for the Yule Ball."
"Of course she was," said Susan darkly. "A lot of girls wanted to go out with Harry Potter, and she was the lucky bitch that got asked out."
Harry shuddered. "It'd have been easier if some of those girls walked up and asked me instead. I'd fight a dragon any day over asking a girl to a dance."
Susan arched an eyebrow with more grace than he had in his entire body. "One would think that after having Greengrass and a veela on either arm, you'd have become a master at it."
"Oh please," said Harry, laughing. "I'm still wondering what either of them see in me."
And he wasn't even joking.
"Auntie knew that I liked you, so she thought that it'd be prudent to get us to meet and talk at your birthday party. I guess we were a little too late by then. She later learnt about the contract you have with Greengrass, and since then, she's been egging me to act. I guess⦠it took me this long to finally get enough courage to talk to you about it."
He gave her a wry smile. "You know what my answer is, right?"
"Unfortunately," she mumbled, disappointment clear in her features. "It's just β neither Fleur Delacour nor Daphne Greengrass are your childhood sweethearts or anything. Greengrass has been prowling all these years, making faces at you from the Slytherin table, and Delacour was all bitchy at you for the entirety of the last year. I don't know what happened this summer, but you and Delacour grew close, and Greengrass got you in a contract. So, it isn't like it was a decision made out of love or anything."
"It wasn't," Harry agreed. " But I love them both. My relationship with Fleur is very different from my relationship with Daphne. And regardless of how it might look, I don't think you know either of them to really comment on them like that."
"Maybe, I don't," she admitted, biting her lip. "But I wondered."
"And what about you, Susan?" he asked, taking the lead for once. "I'm not going to insult your intelligence by claiming that you are ignorant of the way Daphne and Fleur keep sniping at each other. I've even seen you trying to use that to your advantage from time to time."
Susan went pink. "You β ummmβ"
Harry rolled his eyes. "I swear everyone thinks Hermione Granger is the only Gryffindor that has brains." He met her gaze. "Tell me, what do you think? You know the situation between Fleur and Daphne. Do you really think you want to be yet another wheel in that madness?"
Susan bit her lip and took a step back. "Honestly? No. I've always known that as Lady Bones, I'd have to marry someone that would take up my family name. And I don't fancy having to share youβ I mean, my husband, with anyone else. But I know you well enough to know that you'd make a good husband, and you wouldn't mistreat me or anything. That has to matter in some way, doesn't it?"
The way she said that told him a lot of things.
"We're only sixteen, Susan. If not for Daphne's malediction, even this engagement would probably be pushed away by years. At least after our NEWTs."
He conveniently omitted the fact that without the malediction, he'd probably have not known Daphne at all.
"I'm not an expert, but I don't think it's a good idea to jump on this thing without giving it time. We've only been interacting for what⦠two, three months now? Hardly enough time to get a read on each other, don't you think? Even after close to five years of friendship, I have my misunderstandings with Hermione, and you know we have been pretty much attached to the hip since first year. I have feelings for Daphne, and yet every single day, I get to see a new facet of her that I didn't see before. It's already a complicated mess. I think what you and I should do is keep this friendship we share, and see where that takes us. Let's be friends first, Susan."
"But Auntie β"
"If Madam Bones wants a guarantee, then I can give her one. We'll do an alliance between House Bones and House Potter, mutual help and support, and maybe more, if that's what makes her happy. If she and Sirius get married, she's going to become my aunt too. Family. You know there's little I wouldn't do for my family."
Susan's eyes glistened. "I know."
"So yeah, I'm flattered you trust me enough to do well by you in marriage, and you can trust me to do everything to ensure that House Bones is never left astray, no matter what happens in the near future. If we ever get to the point of marriage, it will be because both of us are in absolute agreement, and not because you feel the need to be shackled to House Potter to guarantee your House's future."
Susan tilted her head, her expression unreadable. "You're⦠weird, Harry Potter. I don't think any boy out there would've rejected this chance. I'm pretty sure I'm not unattractive."
He laughed. "That you are not. Any boy would be lucky to have you."
She blushed. "And yet here I am, all but rejected in the face. I don't know if it's just you, or if I'm being weird."
"Probably you," Harry teased. "You're like⦠as weird as ever. Like seriously, me and chess? That's Ron's thing, not mine."
Susan snorted, and rubbed her eyes. "Are you sure you don't want this chance, Harry? Because whatever you said, it's the sweetest thing anyone's ever told me."
"I'll have to pass, thanks."
"Your loss," she shrugged.
He couldn't help but chuckle at her. Both of them seemed to find it funny, and that lightened the mood. He was glad to see that she was back to her normal, bubbly self.
"Soβ¦." she said at last, "permission to hug you, Professor?"
"Nope," said Harry, shaking his head. "Maintain etiquette in class, Miss Bones. Or else I'll have to deduct a point."
Susan stuck her tongue out and walked away.
Harry watched her go, shaking his head. He was not blind to Susan's attempts over the last three months, and neither was he deaf to the rumours spread about the two of them through the gossip vine. Still, he had been quite surprised to hear Amelia Bones of all people tweaking the strings in that direction, and the worst part? It was motivated by political reasons, and not personal. He had certainly not expected Susan to walk up to him and suggest a marriage contract so openly, and now that they had their talk, he wasn't sure what to feel about it. Susan was attractive, even a blind man could see that, but marrying someone for political benefits wasn't something he could get behind. As someone that had just gotten a new chance at life, at family, at⦠love, the bond between him and his lovers was something that was absolutely sacred in his eyes. He hadn't quite said this to Susan, but the moment her Auntie decided to taint it by bringing politics into it, he had mentally dropped all chances for a possible union between himself and Susan. Of course, this was hardly Susan's fault, but just like Ginny, she had only seen the Boy-Who-Lived from afar. Maybe she was more observant than Ginny, but in the end, it made no difference. His and Daphne's marriage was supposed to be built on mutual respect and a Quid-pro-quo situation, and if he were honest with himself, he had entertained the idea of finding love in someone else, just in case this thing with Daphne didn't turn out for the best. It was why he hadn't been hesitant to accept his and Fleur's mutual feelings, and gotten ahead with her. He had certainly not expected things to move in such a favourable direction with Daphne, but either way, he was going to stay true to both of them.
That wasn't going to change. Period.
It was complicated, and surprising in its own way, but it was much better than simply being a cold union for political reasons. He was certain that neither Daphne nor Fleur would be happy in such an arrangement, and he suspected he wouldn't either.
"What was she talking about?" asked Daphne, who had seemingly appeared out of nowhere.
He smiled, now used to her shenanigans. "Nothing that can't wait. You have your duel against Sue."
"She wanted a contract, didn't she?"
Harry gave her an eye-smile. "Have you been reading lips again?"
She gave him a half-shrug, but otherwise said nothing.
"Yes, she wanted a marriage contract, binding House Potter with House Bones. Apparently, Amelia Bones wants that, and she's pulling the strings a bit. Me and Susan had a little talk, and I told her what I thought about it."
"And?"
He shrugged. "And nothing. That's it."
"What did you tell her?"
He felt the stirrings of annoyance rise within him. Exhaling, he turned to Daphne. "I told her that bonds between myself and those I love are sacred. They are held by love, by understanding, and by the trust that I wouldn't ever leave their side, no matter what. Tainting it with political benefits might get it done for others, but for me, that only worsens things."
A small smile was forming on Daphne's face.
"But I also told her that if House Bones needs security, then I can pledge mutual support between House Bones and House Potter, and bind ourselves strongly. But me having to marry her isn't necessary for that."
The smile faded into a frown.
"So you didn't reject her outright."
"Of course not, she's my friend. I explained my own point, and let her come to her own conclusions. She's smart. And I trust her to do it right."
The frown deepened.
"...Err, am I missing something?"
"No," said Daphne quickly. A bit too quickly. "Nothing. I think we should focus on the duel first."
He shrugged. "Fine by me." Then, after a quick second, he asked. "Are you going to use the Greengrass craft in the duel?"
She gave him an odd smile. "Why? Did you bet on me?"
Harry arched an eyebrow. "I'm the professor."
"So?"
He exhaled. "Yes. I bet on you. Through Ron. Don't make me lose my gold, Greengrass."
"I'll try," she drawled. "And yes, I'll use my Family Craft. And don't forget, you're a Greengrass too. Even if you might've never heard the name before this summer."
He exhaled. "Got it. So, what's the plan?
Daphne sighed. "I mail-ordered memories of the recent Under-17 tournament," said Daphne. "Sue Li uses a pretty interesting strategy. She focuses on overwhelming attack right from the beginning, leaving no room for the opponent to come up with something. She chooses hexes and curses, especially the ones that can be cast quickly, and can be combined in spell chains. She's a modest hand at spell deflection, but gets irritated, and her success rate falls instantly. I also ordered a dossier on her, just to be safe. I think I'm going to surprise her with something she won't expect, and frustrate her a bit first. The rest should be easy."
She met his eyes and found him staring at her gobsmacked.
"...What?"
"It's just a casual duel, Daphne, not the finals of a tournament."
"Perhaps, but this might just lead to interesting dominoes in the future, who knows? She's a duellist, while I lack professional experience. If I can beat her, it paints a better picture for me."
He shook his head, calling it her over-competitiveness.
"What?" She asked.
"...Nothing. I just didn't expect you to be this thorough. That's all."
Daphne flipped her hair. "You have all the makings of a wonderful Slytherin, Harry, but you have miles to go. Knowing your enemy is half the battle won. I know what I can do, and now I know what she can as well. Naturally, I'll use it to my advantage and crush her, as befits a Slytherin. And you, my dear fiance, better be cheering for me inside your head, or I'll find out and there will be hell to pay."
Harry rolled his eyes.
"BEGIN!"
The word had barely escaped his mouth before Daphne's first spell was underway. Aguamenti, the water-conjuring spell. A quick shield from Sue Li splattered the torrent in all directions, only for Daphne to perform a quick wide-area freezing charm, which made Sue Li raise her shield even higher. Harry smirked, as the water droplets instantly froze to ice, and with a quick animation spell, Daphne began hurling them at her from a variety of directions, attacking her shield from all sides. But Sue Li wasn't a duellist for nothing. A quick immobilising jinx stopped the majority of the ice pellets, before an overpowered Ventus sent them hurling towards Daphne. His fiance wasn't standing idle either, the moment she had lost control of the ice pellets, she had instantly given up on them, and dropped to one knee, tapping the floor with the tip of her wand, channelling power and a transfiguration spell, raising a wall of stone to intercept the attacks. Sue Li, recognizing the obvious defence, instantly shifted to the offensive, unleashing a blasting curse tailed by a concussive hex. Simple, direct, and blunt to the point of being insulting.
As expected, it shattered the stone wall β
And Li found herself facing a spiral of twisted magical energies, crafted by her opponent from behind the safety of the stone wall.
"VERA VERTO!" yelled Daphne, and instantly, the shattered rocks morphed into spikes, and were hurled in Li's direction.
"LACERO IGNIS!" yelled Li. The firewhip charm that created a whip of intensely hot flames that could slice through rock without issue. Sue whipped through the entire barrage with a facility that only came with raw experience. He had expected her to use a Protego, or worse, employ a wide-area blasting curse. Instead the fire whip blazed through the spikes, cutting them in halves and littering them all over the hall.
To Harry's eyes, that screamed set up.
"SNUFFILIFORS OPPUGNO ET GEMINIO!", screamed Daphne. Instantly, the debris morphed into rats β ten, twenty, fifty of them, the Oppugno suffix scurrying them across the duelling arena towards Sue with an almost impossible speed. Harry had no doubt Daphne had amplified the spell through that spiral technique, enhancing its potency to masterful degrees. Snape had mentioned Spell Amplification a couple of times, but had yet to touch the subject, because in his opinion, Harry tended to overpower his spells anyway for him to even bother with amplifying it.
And given the way Sue went ramrod stiff, Harry had no doubt that she had some history with rats, or a possible phobia. Her wand sparked into action with the firewhip from before, but using it on projectiles following a linear path, and trying to kill rats that were approaching her from random directions were too different things.
He watched as Sue discarded the whip, cast a wide-area banisher, but every time they hit a rat, it duplicated and came at her.
"Reducto!"
They duplicated again.
"Confringo!Reducto Maxima!"
Doubled again.
The rats were everywhere. Between the magic-induced craziness from the Oppugno spell, and the overpowered Geminio, Sue was completely trapped from all sides, throwing in curses and hexes without care, her expression only morphing to greater and greater heights of hysteria with each passing second. Daphne could've taken advantage of the situation and just disarmed her for good, but she seemed content to just cross her arms and see Li deal with her technique. It was condescending, ruthless and cruel, but not even Harry could say it wasn't effective.
"Incendio! INCENDIO!"
Now, she was choosing the right spells. Fire, apart from its natural destructive element, was doubly effective against conjured items. Something about fire's ability to purify and cleanse and remove all illusions lent itself to this nature. Harry looked at Daphne who had her wand raised now, ready to disarm Sue, deciding that the duel was over. Then a strange panic flitted through Sue's expressions, and her wand began snapping up and down in all sorts of wand gestures.
He really should've intervened when he had the chance.
"INCENDIO DIABOLICA!" screamed Sue Li.
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