Disclaimer: See Chapter 1
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Chapter 1112 Feb 24
-oOo-
This time on Duel of Fate: Wool's Orphanage. Sue and Harry prepare for the U14 Tournament in Madrid.
-oOo-
May 1, 1995London, England
Harry was clutching the paperwork in his hands. It was his copy saying that his godfather had claimed him and was his proper guardian, while Andi and Ted would watch over him until Sirius was better. Harry had someone that wanted him and would take him away from this place. He looked at the run-down building that was Wool's Orphanage. The building was easily a hundred and fifty years old. Somehow it had survived the Battle of Britian in World War II mostly intact and had been repaired after getting hit by one bomb that had not exploded. They all knew about that event as the empty casing was in the Head Nun's office as a reminder that God had been protecting them.
Even so, he hated this place.
It made it worse with the company he was here with.
Professor Dumbledore had insisted he come along after the board confirmed his placement. Harry didn't like the man, nor the way he had grown so interested in him. Ted was being congenial but didn't look to care for the unwanted straggler for this meeting either.
They walked up to the doors to enter the main atrium of the old building. Age and the abuse from generations of children had the building run down and tired.
Being the middle of the day on a school day, there weren't many in the building. The only ones around were those too young to go to school. The workers were mostly volunteers or nuns that did their best to help the youngest with their letters, numbers, learning to read and keeping them busy and as well-adjusted as possible.
Before them was a staircase that ascended the three floors that made up the orphanage. To the left was a large open doorway that led to the common areas: a sitting room with a television, games that were missing half their pieces, a few shelves of books and tables to do their homework at or to use for other activities in the evenings and weekends.
To the right was the hallway with the Head Nun's office, an administrative office, the kitchen and dining hall.
"Where do we go?" Ted asked.
"This way," Dumbledore answered as though he had been here before. Harry looked to the man questioningly, then shared a look with Ted when the man caught his eye. They followed the headmaster. He stepped into the administrative office. Mrs Rayford was sitting behind the old oak desk that had probably been here for the last fifty years.
She smiled when she saw Harry. "Hello, Harry. We weren't expecting to see you until the start of July."
"Hello, Misses Rayford. I'm here to talk with the Head Nun and give her my adoption papers," he said with a smile.
She smiled back. "Ah, yes. We were contacted by a Mister Tonks on Friday to say that Child Services had been able to find your godfather. Is this Mister Tonks?" she questioned looking at the tall man with a white beard and in a plum-coloured suit.
"No, Misses Rayford. This is Professor Dumbledore, the Headmaster of my school. This is Mister Tonks. He and his wife will be taking me in until my godfather gets better," he told her.
"I'm so happy to hear that, dear. I'll just let Sister Caroline know you are here," she said to him.
Ted and him took seats while Dumbledore stood and looked around the office. He had a look on his face that Harry hadn't seen before and didn't know how to interpret. It was only a few minutes before the soft tap of Sister Caroline's shoes echoed down the hallway. Harry stood as Sister Caroline required. Ted stood without questioning Harry.
An austere elderly woman walked in. She looked at him, gave him a nod, then took in Dumbledore and looked suddenly like she had seen a ghost. "You," she said softly.
"Ah, Sister Caroline. It has been many years. I trust you have been well?" Dumbledore asked.
Harry looked between them.
Sister Caroline took a moment to get hold of herself. "Yes. Very well," she said in a hard voice that Harry wasn't used too. "Now, I am here to talk with Mister Potter? Ah, hello, Harry."
"Good day, Sister Caroline," Harry said.
"Who is this with you?"
"Solicitor Theodore Tonks, Sister Caroline. I'm here representing Sirius Black, Harry's godfather," Ted said.
"Ah, yes, the allusive godfather that has been in a coma all these years. If you would step into my office, we can finalize the adoption. I take it that Mister Black will have a full recovery soon? I do have to say this is a little unusual, but it couldn't have come at a better time. The orphanage is starting to work with Child Services as we will be closing at the end of this year," Sister Caroline said. "We are the last of our kind. I only hope all the children find good families or foster homes."
She gave Dumbledore a sidelong look before guiding them into the office. "Professor Dumbledore, unless you have some business in this, I would ask you to wait out here."
"Of course, Sister Caroline. I am here as a friend of the family and observer of the court. I can just wait here or take a look around," he said.
Harry let out a silent sigh of relief as Ted and him sat in a chair in her office without the headmaster. Harry put the papers on the desk. "Here are all the papers. I was told you need to sign where the sticky notes are," Harry told her.
She gave him a small smile. "I am familiar with these forms. I'm happy to see you so enthused about this. Though, it is typically the Solicitor or parent that has the papers."
"Harry was so excited he didn't want to let anyone else have them," Ted said with a chuckle.
Harry felt a little colour come to his cheeks. He wanted out of here and wouldn't take any chances of that not happening. The old woman nodded.
"I take it that you have a proper place for Harry and that he has accepted this?" Sister Caroline asked.
"You will find that there is a report from Child Services authorizing that our house is approved, Harry has agreed and the proper appointments for follow ups have been scheduled for the next six months," Ted told her.
Sister Caroline leafed through the papers. After a few minutes she commented, "This all seems in order. Are you happy with this, Harry?"
Harry met her eyes. "I've never wanted anything more in my life," he told her.
"It's always a good thing to see our charges find a good home. Let me sign all these and then you can go up to your room and get anything you left there," she told him.
"I don't have anything there. I took everything I wanted with me to school," Harry said.
-oOo-
Upstairs…Albus Dumbledore felt thrown for a loop to see this place. It didn't look much different than it had just over fifty years ago when he had come to introduce a young Tom Riddle to the world of magic. The boy had shown troubling signs even then, but Dumbledore had thought it just Tom growing up as an orphan in an orphanage.
Seeing Sister Caroline had just about knocked him off his feet. The woman had been a young nun of about twenty then. She had been the one to tell him about Tom and he hadn't believed her at the time. If he had, maybe things would have turned out differently?
It made his throat dry as he followed Harry's magical signature. It led him to the second floor, down the end of the hallway and into a room that had a faded green door. The tarnished brass door handle looked almost the same. He swore it had the same dent in it that it had fifty years ago.
Swallowing, he opened the door.
Albus let out a long breath to see the same room. The bed had been replaced. There was a newer dresser. The lacquer on the armoire was cracked and peeling but the deep brown that it had been was still visible in places. Unable to stop himself, he stepped over to the armoire and opened the door. There were a few old clothes and a jacket that looked far too small for Harry. His fear he would find a box of trinkets on the top shelf was unfounded as he only found three pairs of old socks.
The bed was made and obviously been unused for months.
Looking around the room he found the drawers of the dresser empty and nothing under the bed. He surreptitiously cast a few spells to see if there was anything hidden and found a loose floorboard.
He knelt on his old knees to pry up the board. When he opened it, the space was dusty and full of cobwebs. He doubted that anyone had pried up this board in decades. Looking around, his heart thumped against his chest. Stuffed a few feet back was a small wooden box. A small wooden box that was all too familiar. Instead of getting rid of his trophies, Tom had hidden them.
Albus took out the box and opened it. His heart sank to see the items that a lonely, cruel orphan had thought his greatest treasures: a girl's head piece. A lock of hair. A bone of some animal. A piece of fabric. A post card from a seaside village.
Albus swallowed. How had he so misjudged the boy even back then? The items were that of a cruel child. A child that loved to hurt others. A child that hurt others to feel more powerful.
The thing that really caught Dumbledore was that this was the same room. The same room that had led to Tom Riddle was the same room that Harry Potter had been in for thirteen years now. The boy's own propensity to battle and bloodlust could only be linked to this.
He needed control of the boy to guide him to the light.
A noise in the hallway had him reaching for his wand. The box lid closed, and he put it into an extended pocket of his jacket, then swiped his wand to replace the floorboard. Albus stood. He managed to turn around before Harry and Ted came into view.
"You found my prison?" Harry asked.
"I doubt this place is a prison," he told the boy.
Harry snorted in dark humour. After looking around the room, Harry said, "Well it wasn't a home. There isn't anything here I want, Ted."
"Sister Caroline just wanted you to double check," Theodore coaxed the boy.
Albus stepped back and out the door as Harry went through the drawers, the armoire and checked around the room.
Theodore watched Harry. "What were you doing in here?"
"Harry isn't the first orphan from this orphanage. I was looking to see if anything had changed," Albus replied as Harry joined them with nothing in his hands.
"Do you have everything?" Theodore enquired.
"I didn't leave anything behind I want," Harry said.
Albus nodded. "Well, let us get back to Hogwarts then. You can still catch any classes you have this afternoon and starting Wednesday afternoons, you will be reporting to my office."
Harry looked a little shocked and worried. "I'm sorry, headmaster, but did I do something to earn detentions with you?"
Albus gave him his best grandfatherly smile. "No. Nothing like that. I would like to enhance your training as you prepare for the next duelling competition."
The look the boy gave him had Albus a little concerned. There was fear and a need to avoid him coming off the boy. It was similar to what Tom used to do. He never wanted to be around him. What child would not want to learn from the great Albus Dumbledore?
Albus was hearing alarms in his head as he felt the child's aversion towards him… coupled with the power he had started to show this year only made it more imperative that Albus take the boy under his wing and mould him to be the champion he needed, since Neville Longbottom didn't seem to be working out the way he wanted.
"Headmaster, Andromeda and I have approved for him to continue his apprenticeship with Master Flitwick," Theodore said.
"We have an accord, Theodore," Albus told the man.
Theodore didn't look pleased. "We had an accord. An accord that you did not follow through on. Harry will continue his apprenticeship with Master Flitwick."
"I do not see you needing to approve anything as he is Professor Flitwick's apprentice, and Filius is one of my professors," Albus informed them. It didn't matter that he didn't follow the agreement to the letter. He needed both boys and couldn't afford to alienate Augusta. Not yet, anyways.
"That may be, but he is still underage, and we are his guardians until Sirius is capable. Harry, you said you wanted to see Sirius one more time before I take you back to school?"
"Please, Ted. Professor, I'll see you back at Hogwarts," Harry said, gladly allowing Theodore to put a hand on his shoulder and lead him away. Albus' piercing blue eyes watched them go down the hallway. He would get his way. He always did.
Looking back into the room, he knew he had little time left to claim the boy and bring him to the light. He didn't bother to hide his apparition when he left, not noticing a young five-year-old girl down the hall that suddenly realized that magic was real…
-oOo-
Later that day…Hogwarts, Scotland
"Potter!"
"Bloody Fuck," Harry muttered as he let go of Hannah's hand. She had been walking with him to Professor Flitwick's practice room. He needed to talk with his master, and it had been a long weekend without any practice. With the tournament in Spain only six weeks away he needed to be duelling Sue as often as possible.
Susan, Sue and Luna were with them. The three other girls were going to the library for the evening after dropping him off. Hearing the tones of Longpiddle calling him put him off his good mood.
"POTTER!" Longpiddle bellowed.
Harry did his best to ignore the arse. "Just ignore him," Hannah encouraged.
"Can I stick him to the ceiling with a permanent sticking charm?" Sue asked. He could see her hand itching to draw her wand.
"We won't cast the first spell. I won't miss Spain," Harry told her.
"POTTER! Damn it! You cost me Granger! And what the hell did you do to my Gran?" Longpiddle yelled.
Harry could tell they wouldn't make it to the duelling room before Longpiddle caught up with him. Harry turned and made sure he stepped before Hannah. He wasn't going to let the idiot hit her again. Hannah didn't protest. Sue stepped next to him. Longpiddle and the Weasel were stalking down the hall towards them with wands already drawn.
Harry had to stifle the impulse to pull his wand. He couldn't be the aggressor. "I didn't do anything to your Gran. The bint pulled her wand on me in the middle of a ministry courtroom. As for Granger, I have no clue what you are talking about."
He really didn't. He had heard the rumours, but not talked with her for almost two weeks.
"Bloody dick, Potter! You had my Gran arrested and now Child Services are investigating her. My Gran never mistreated me," Longpiddle screamed as he came up to Harry with his wand pointing at Harry's chest.
"You better make sure I don't get up, Longpiddle, or I will make sure you don't leave the hospital for a month," Harry growled.
"Longbottom, put that down," Susan ordered.
The boy looked ready to curse anyone he could. "Gran said you filed a grievance against the alliance. There is no alliance. As if a Longbottom would ever associate with a Potter!"
Harry was surprised at that. "I didn't do anything, and it wasn't me that tried to use a dead alliance. Your stupid bint of a grandmother tried to…"
Harry saw the wand movement before Longpiddle yelled out, "Confringo!"
Harry was already dodging, and his hand swiped up. It caught Longpiddle's wrist and forced it up, so the spell didn't hit anyone behind him. Sue's wand was out, and Weasel's wand was flying out of his hand before he was sent flying down the hallway. Harry stepped closer and punched Longpiddle in his side. The slightly larger boy let out a grunt while Harry grabbed Longpiddle's wand and ripped it out of his hand.
He saw a red spell fly by them and hit Ron, who had been getting back up. He collapsed in a heap.
Su's wand came up towards Longpiddle. Harry stepped back and grinned when the boy's arms slapped to his side and his legs snapped together. There was rage and pain in his eyes as he fell forward. There was no way that didn't hurt as his face hit the flagstones.
"Merlin, Harry. How fast can you move?" Hannah asked. He looked over his shoulder to see her wand pulled and pointing towards Longpiddle.
"Fast enough. Can you and Susan go get Professor Flitwick?" he asked.
"Sure," his girlfriend said. She nodded to Susan and they both took off at a run.
Sue looked down at Longpiddle. "Can I make him bald?"
Harry grinned at her. "That would be fitting but how would we explain that?"
She shrugged. "My wand slipped?"
Harry laughed. "If you can get that past Professor Flitwick, I'll treat you to anything you want from Honeydukes."
She gave a thoughtful look. "Anything?"
"Anything," Harry said with a slight challenge to his voice.
Sue still looked like she wanted to when there was a white spell. Harry looked up to Luna, who had a dreamy smile on her face. "I like anything dark chocolate," she told him.
Harry looked down to see the boy's hair a vibrant purple. Harry laughed. "You got it, Luna."
Sue wrapped an arm around the blonde's shoulder. "Oh, Merlin, Harry should have saved you sooner. I love this girl."
Luna looked pleased with herself.
-oOo-
May 3, 1995Hogwarts, Scotland
Harry sat in the library working on his Runes revision. Hannah and Susan were off doing something, and he was on his own. After the trouble that Longpiddle and Weasel got in the other day they were avoiding him. Master Flitwick had said they did the right thing, but it was alright to defend themselves before a spell was cast at them. Harry also laughed every time he saw Longpiddle. Luna's spell still hadn't worn off and she wouldn't tell them how to counter it or how long it would last.
He was focusing and didn't realize someone was joining him until she sat in the chair across from him. Harry finished his conjugation of a crop blessing before looking up. The bushy hair girl had already lain out her stuff just like they used to do. It had been a few months. Looking at her he could see what looked like tear tracks on her cheeks.
Unsure if he should say anything he took his notebook and turned it around then put it before her. "I've added a bit since the last time we worked together."
Hermione looked up to him, her lower lip in her teeth. "You don't hate me?"
He shook his head. "We all make mistakes."
She gave him a watery smile before taking his notebook. "How do you find half of this?" she asked looking at the open page.
Harry shrugged. "I read."
She snorted. "I read too but haven't found some of this. Is that the homework?"
"Yeah. I used the Upper Hieroglyphs to utilize the floods of the Nile," Harry told her.
Her brow rose. "There is more than one language? Babbling didn't say anything about it and our books don't mention it."
Harry shrugged again and took out a book from his pile. "I found this at Tomes and Scrolls a month back. Babbling hasn't complained about any of my work yet."
She took the book and opened to the forward.
Harry smiled. Sometimes he didn't understand how Hermione had become a Gryffindor, while other times he saw it in her fiery temper and brashness when action was required. Hermione settled into reading the book as he settled back into working on the revision.
It was a good ten minutes later before he finally said, "Are you alright?"
She stopped reading and put a finger where she had stopped. It took a moment for her to reply, "Did you hear why we broke up?"
"Nope. I wasn't even sure you had until Longpiddle said it was my fault the other day," Harry replied as his pen made the next hieroglyph in the chain.
She sighed. "In a way, it was." He looked up to her. "I didn't like the way Ron and him have been treating you and your friends, then he got a letter from his Gran saying that she had a plan to finally get their revenge. I argued with him. He was an arse. Then I decked him."
Harry grinned like a loon. "Tell me you gave him a good hit?"
She had a small smile come to her face. "His cheek was bruised for a week. I had to see Madam Pomfrey to heal my hand. I always knew Neville was stubborn, but not that he was that thick headed."
Harry gave as silent a laugh as he could. "Merlin, I would have paid to see that."
"The twins had a pool going and Lavender gave me ten galleons of her winnings," Hermione told him.
Harry laughed a little louder. "That is brilliant. If you need anyone to sit with, you can always join us."
Hermione gave him a soft smile. "Thanks, Harry. I just might," she told him.
They both turned to look down a row. It sounded like someone had just been slapped. "I slept with you!" a girl said loud enough to carry down the aisle. Harry's brow rose to see Diggory and Chang down the aisle.
"I never forced you and that was months ago. Wouldn't you know if you were pregnant before now?" Diggory said in a hushed tone.
"I'm pregnant. Who else would I have slept with?" Chang hissed back.
"I don't know. I've heard you got around after we broke up. That was almost five months ago, Cho. How far along are you?" Diggory questioned.
The girl looked ready to cry. "I wouldn't have slept with the others if you hadn't broken up with me," she snapped back.
"You were bullying and stealing family heirlooms from another student. Never mind she was my cousin. How could you think that was right or that I would date anyone like that?" Diggory hissed. Harry felt his ire coming up. He still hadn't forgiven everyone that had done those things to Luna.
"It was only Loony Lovegood. She's not right and her father has just about ruined my father. What was I supposed to do?" Cho said back angrily. Tears were running down her cheeks.
"Not that. Your father and the others were trying to fix an election and running a money racket. He broke the law. That isn't Luna's or her father's fault. That is your father's," Diggory heatedly shot back.
Cho went to slap him again and Diggory just took it. Harry went to get up and Hermione reached across the table to grab his hand. He stopped as Diggory stood tall. "If you hit me again, I won't just take it. I get you are upset. I get you are in trouble. None of that is my fault. None of that is Luna's fault. You and your family got yourselves into your own problems. Unless you can show me a blood test confirming that the child is mine, I don't ever want to talk with you again."
Diggory turned and saw Hermione and him looking at them. He gave them a solemn nod as Chang broke down into tears and sank to the floor. He walked over to them and took a seat, ignoring Chang. Harry settled back down. "Alright there, Granger and Potter?"
"Yeah, you?" Harry asked.
"Alright. How is Luna doing?"
"Well, actually. No one is bothering her anymore and she has all her stuff back," Harry said with a grin. Hermione was frowning at Chang, who had just gotten up as she realized people had seen that. If looks could kill, Harry and Diggory would be dead. Harry returned a blank stare. After a moment she ran away.
"Dramatic much?" Harry commented.
"You have no idea. I never did say thank you for telling me about that. By the way, Granger, I heard that Professor Vector was talking about the Muggle mathematics books you brought in. Mind if I look at them at some point? I know it won't help much this year, but I'm going to be back next year for my NEWTS. This year was too busy with the tournament," Diggory informed them.
Hermione blushed. "Uhm, sure. I don't have them now, but after dinner or tomorrow afternoon?"
Diggory gave her a winning smile. "This evening is fine. Tomorrow afternoon I'm training."
"Seven thirty then?"
"Sounds good, Granger. Potter," Diggory said before getting up.
Harry raised a brow to Hermione. "Diggory?"
"Oh, hush," she said, the blush still on her cheeks.
-oOo-
May 6, 1995Hogwarts, Scotland
Sue jabbed her wand a few times. Harry circled his wand and silently cast 'Blorgnuts!'.
A Protego shield was usually clear or had a slight blue tint to it. Casting the same spell in Goobnarg had the effect of making a translucent bronze shield. It was an oblong shape that covered his body and a good foot on either side. It had the disadvantage of being visible, but it also had the advantage of being near impervious to any type of physical or physical spell attack. The bevy of piercing hexes hit the shield and there were ripples of magic across the translucent bronze surface.
As the shield blocked the hexes, his wand was already moving. He held his left hand out to power the shield while his right hand made a whirling motion. Sue was keeping her assault up as a mild blasting hex impacted the shield and then ropes tried to wrap around it. By now Harry's spell was ready. He dropped low, letting the ropes wrap around the shield, just missing his head before he slammed his left hand into the floor. The shield burst in a flash of colour. The ropes shredded and his wand suddenly jabbed towards Sue.
She crossed her arms and planted her feet as a similar bronze shield came up. He had expected she might think was about to cast a wind spell at her. Instead, a large ball of white energy left his wand. Her eyes widened. Jumping out of the way, she was clipped by the mostly nothing form of magic. It spun her around, flipping her through the air. She landed hard and didn't have time to react to the stunner that knocked her out.
There was clapping from the side of the room. Harry tried to ignore it. The last two training sessions Dumbledore had been at. They had been told not to push each other too hard, but they had to be prepared for Spain. He had a feeling he would be going up against Delacour again and she wasn't anyone to take lightly.
"That was a marvellous use of intent magic. I've never seen such a thing at your age," Dumbledore said.
"It wasn't intent base magic," Flitwick said. "It was a banishing spell cast with Goobnarg."
Dumbledore raised an eyebrow. "Your students know Goobnarg?"
"What better way to get an advantage." Master Flitwick had walked over to Sue and flicked his wand. She groaned as she came back to consciousness. "You both did well, but there were glaring mistakes. Potter, what did you do wrong about eight spells in?"
Harry huffed. "I decided to shield instead of dodging."
"Yes. You used far too much energy early in the fight. If you and Li were not so fit or well-trained that could have cost when you got to this last round. Always dodge unless it is part of your strategy or you have no other choice," Master Flitwick chastised him.
"Surely that isn't that large of a mistake, Filius? The shield was impressive, but this match only lasted one minute and forty seconds," Dumbledore said.
"This is professional duelling. You want to put on as much of a show as you want to knock your opponent out. When everyone is going full power at a competition, a single failed shield two minutes in could be your downfall," Filius said. "Li, what did you do wrong?"
Sue had gotten up on her arms. She winced as she went to stand. "I got overconfident thinking that Potter was going to use one of his signature moves. I didn't see the downward flick before he cast that banisher."
"He didn't. He is getting good enough to forgo some wand motions now. I want you to practice that to reduce the movement on your banisher and ropes," Master Flitwick ordered.
Harry was mentally cursing himself for revealing that. He had been working on it for months to get rid of the wand movements. Dumbledore's raised brow told him he screwed up and showed too much. "And you, Potter, need to learn when to dodge," Flitwick demanded before Harry was suddenly diving out of the way as a bludgeoner spell raced at him. He hit the floor, rolled and then jumped sideways to avoid the four others that came at him. He managed to dodge or avoid the next few but the eighth one in the chain clipped his shoulder. He hissed in pain as he was thrown to the floor. He didn't let it stop him though as he rolled over. Over the next twenty minutes he was hit six more times.
When he came up sweating and just about stumbled over his feet Master Flitwick finally stopped. "Have you learned your lesson now?"
"Yes, Master Flitwick," Harry said in a pant. He was still ready to dodge, unsure if the diminutive man would try to teach him anymore.
Flitwick nodded. "Good. That is enough for tonight."
Harry nodded before he slumped to the floor. Sue was looking at him. She looked just as confused as Harry felt about that exercise. He hadn't made that large of a mistake, had he?
"I was hoping to talk with Mister Potter and perhaps evaluate him myself," Dumbledore said.
Harry had to stifle a groan. He wasn't sure if his protesting muscles could take much more.
"I think my student has already been through a tough practice. We are meeting again tomorrow at one in the afternoon," Professor Flitwick said. "Go get cleaned up and I will expect to see you at dinner."
"Yes, Master Flitwick," Harry said. Sue walked over and offered her hand. He took it and she had to pull him up. "Thanks."
Sue nodded. They gathered their bags as Flitwick and Dumbledore talked about the practice. Sue waited until they were a few doors down before asking, "What did you do to upset Master Flitwick?"
"Not a bloody clue. I think I need a pain potion tonight," he told her.
She gave him a concerned look before giving him a sly smile. "Should I get Hannah to just give you a massage?"
A smile cracked his face. "What would I owe you for that?"
"Make sure you destroy Delacour in Spain," Sue told him.
Harry looked at her curiously. "And you think you won't beat her?"
Sue snorted. "I know you are holding back when Dumbledore is there. At the start of the year, I could match or beat you, but I think if you really wanted you could wipe the floor with me. Delacour is a little better than I am," she said. It sounded like it hurt to admit it. "I want you to win, Harry. I want Hogwarts to get the trophy this year. Delacour and that prat from Bulgaria will be your biggest competition. I think I can make it third, but not the finals with you."
Harry felt slightly off footed. Sue had never said that to him before. "Oh. Well, if you put it that way, I better win then."
Sue rolled her eyes and punched his arm. Harry winced as she hit a spot that was already bruising. "Serves you right, prat."
"Wow, I thought you were trying to tell me you like me, but now all is right with the world," he snarked back.
Sue nodded her head then smirked. "Just win."
"Sure."
-oOo-
The next time on Duel of Fate: U14 Tournament Madrid and a life changing event…