Nearly Christmas already. It was amazing how time flew when nobody was actively trying to kill you.
Harry had been through around 60 shelves looking for skill books since the quidditch match. It turned out that around skill rank 10, even Hogwarts' skill books started being temperamental about how much he could learn from them. Harry was worried he'd used up a bunch of the "good" skill books early, since about half the time now he'd find a book that was clearly one, but informed him his skill was too high to learn from it.
Hermione still dutifully had him record those as well.
Since it was now effectively using up two shelves to raise his skills that were over 10, he'd basically raised all of his primary classroom skills to 12 and all of the electives that he couldn't even take yet to 9, with a smattering of general skills. They figured he was maybe a third of the way through the library, and easily to the end of third year in his practical studies. His professors had gradually gone from impressed at his rate of improvement from the last year to quietly thinking that he was some kind of prodigy that was finally taking off after a bumpy first year learning the basics.
He'd also finally managed to bump Body up to 9, spending some time exercising on top of the quidditch practice a very-dejected Oliver Wood was putting them through (they'd lost to Slytherin so badly that the path to the quidditch cup looked long indeed, requiring Slytherin to lose the rest of their matches while Gryffindor racked up a lot of points in their own).
The number of books he'd gotten through wasn't as much as Hermione had considered totally optimal in a month and a half, but he was spending part of his browsing time looking for mentions of Ekrizdis and dementors. Those were even fewer and further between than skill books, and the quest goal remained stubbornly unchecked. Most of the dark wizard's contemporaries didn't even seem to have known anything about him until a big island full of soul-sucking demons suddenly became visible once he finally died.
Or at least that was the story of the contemporaries that had books in the Hogwarts library. The kids had found a few references to other histories that didn't appear to be stocked, no matter how hard they looked. Madam Pince, when they finally gave up and asked for her help, admitted that if any remaining copies of such tomes existed, they were hidden away in family libraries. She seemed personally offended at how many useful reference books were squirreled away, either already lost to all time or in danger of becoming so as soon as an accident happened in the one place they were still stored. It made much more sense to her to allow them to be curated (by her) in the safest library in Britain.
They'd done Pince's daily quest enough that they'd very much raised their favor with her. She wasn't exactly friendly (it was dubious whether she was that way with anyone), but did consider them perfectly reasonable people to rant at from time to time. Quietly, of course.
Quest availability was another thing that was slowing them down in their library time. With such slow progress on the main quest, it seemed like the game system was obliging by making more side quests available. When they'd first gotten to school, there had been a number of options, but those had dried up quickly (as classmates presumably solved problems for one another before the Marauders could get to them). Yet through November and into December, exclamation points started to pop up again.
In the last few weeks Harry and his friends had:
Found missing personal items for Luna several times,
Hunted down three pixies that had hidden during Lockhart's first class and eventually made a ruckus,
Passed love letters for five different couples,
Broken up a "jewelry-theft scam" that turned out to be a niffler that a student had smuggled into the school as a pet,
Gotten Luna's roommates detention for stealing her things once Hermione realized why she generated so many lost items quests,
Hunted down twelve pixies that couldn't officially be blamed on Fred and George releasing them for a prank,
Anonymously turned in Nerys Orpington when she tried to go after Gloria Williams herself with no help from the Heir,
And tracked down a streeler that Professor Kettleburn had let loose from its pen by accident (inspiring the prosthetic-wearing professor to remark that maybe he was too old for this shit).
Lumped together it sounded like a lot, but it was pretty easy one at a time. Most of the quest rewards were just pocket change from the aided parties, which was of more interest to the Weasleys than the others, especially with Christmas coming up and gifts to buy. Luna had handed over several handmade items of dubious practical value that, nonetheless, Harry's inspection concurred were useful in warding off the invisible pests that they couldn't see without the Fey perk. Helping Kettleburn had even gotten them some extra credit (that he talked Sprout and Dawlish to applying in their classes, since they couldn't take Kettleburn's elective until third year and he was thinking of retiring anyway).
Also, Gloria Williams and Lee were dating. When Ron asked how he could date a Slytherin, he shrugged and said she was cute and her family was rich but probably not Death Eaters. No matter how many times Harry said that dating her hadn't been listed as a quest reward, Lee continued to joke that it must have been.
One strange development was that Harry had been about to put his name on the list of kids staying in the castle over winter holidays again, but Hermione signaled for him not to. "But I don't want to stay with the Dursleys?" he asked, confused, after McGonagall had walked away with an empty list and only-slightly-suspicious glance at him.
"My parents want you to stay with us," she shrugged. "But I think it's fine if they think you're at your aunt's house." Hermione had really been keen to quietly rebel against authority since she'd made no headway in persuading the staff that the school's house elves were basically slaves.
"Oh, well… okay," he agreed. He'd protest more, but he'd quite enjoyed the one night he'd stayed with the Grangers over the summer, and the castle was likely to be even emptier than the year before. With no active mystery at the school, everyone had abandoned earlier intentions to maybe stay over. While staying for a couple of weeks with his friend's parents was a little anxiety-inducing, it seemed better than being alone at Hogwarts.
And since the Grangers knew about the game system, maybe they'd let them do some quests around Crawley.
But what he could sign up for was the dueling club sheet that appeared a week later.
That evening, an hour after dinner to make time for the elves to work, they and most of the rest of the school arrived to see the entire great hall cleared of tables and set up with many dueling spaces. Dawlish walked up onto the platform that usually held the staff table, and used a spell-amplified voice to explain, "Right. Lockhart had scheduled this before we locked him up, and it was the least-stupid idea he had. Not sure why we haven't had more of these. Obviously we're doing a lot of practice in my class, but it seemed like a good idea to let you try out against students you don't see in class."
They were a little surprised to see both Snape and Flitwick climb up to the platform at either end, wands at the ready. Snape simple stood, impassive, in his flowing black robes, while Flitwick grinned and did some stretches to limber up his diminutive form. "Thanks for inviting me. It's been an age since I had a friendly duel!" the charms professor said.
Dawlish nodded, explaining to the crowd, "I'm not a professional duelist myself, so I invited Filius, who is." Quite a few students didn't seem to know that, and looked at the smaller professor with new interest. "Severus, I'm assured, is also quite fast. So they're going to do a little exhibition for us. We don't expect you to cast anywhere near what they're about to do, but this should give you an idea what professional dueling looks like."
He backed out of the long rectangular mat that had been placed along the dais, and swished his wand so runes along the edge lit up, and a faint shimmer appeared in the air. Harry peered and inspected the field.
Mobile dueling wards erect a temporary
barrier against spell energy. Easily broken by
intentional attacks against them, they are
nevertheless useful in containing stray spells.
"Whenever you're ready, gentlemen," Dawlish instructed.
The two professors bowed to each other, settled into dueling stances, and then began. It was honestly so fast that Harry had to review his combat log to be sure what had happened.
Severus Snape casts Disarming Charm at Filius Flitwick: Failure (Dodge)
Filius Flitwick casts Knockback Jinx at Severus Snape: Failure (Shield Charm)
Severus Snape casts Full Body-Bind Curse at Filius Flitwick: Failure (Wand Deflection)
Filius Flitwick casts Freezing Spell at Severus Snape: Failure (Dodge)
Severus Snape casts Silencing Charm at Filius Flitwick: Failure (Dodge)
Filius Flitwick casts Tripping Jinx at Severus Snape: Failure (Dodge)
Filius Flitwick casts Water-Making Spell at Severus Snape: Partial Hit
Filius Flitwick casts Fire-Making Charm at Severus Snape: Failure (Shield Charm)
Filius Flitwick casts Stunning Spell at Severus Snape: Success
Or, in practical terms, Snape shouted, "Expelliarmus!" at an already-moving Flitwick, who was silently casting a knockback jinx that Snape barely shielded against. Snape managed to recover into a, "Petrificus Totalus!" that Flitwick somehow managed to catch on the tip of his wand and knock into the wards while smoothly casting a bolt of ice at his opponent. Snape barely dodged, got off a, "Silencio!" to try to stop the charms professor's casting, but missed.
With Snape off balance and having closed the distance to the middle of the platform, Flitwick produced four spells in a row, casting faster than anyone in the crowd had ever seen: an attempt to trip, a jet of water, a gout of flame, and then a stunning spell. Off balance, barely able to dodge and shield, and lightly soaked, Snape probably thought he would have to deal with another freezing charm only to be nailed with the red light of Flitwick's, "Stupefy!" It was the only spell the half-goblin had actually had to cast verbally.
The crowd was now really impressed by the charms professor in a way they never had been before.
After lowering the wards and reviving Snape, Dawlish explained, "I hope you lot understand the skill gap you're working towards now. I also want to point out that, without slighting Filius, he's a master of this particular format. But I'd wager things might go differently if Severus had a battleground with obstacles, darkness, and no spells barred."
"Quite," Snape sneered at the backhanded compliment, that clearly implied that he was better at being an assassin than an honest duelist. He nonetheless politely bowed to Flitwick, who returned it, before retreating to begin casting spells to dry off his robes.
Dawlish ordered the crowd, "We do not have dueling wards on your spaces, so what I want you lot to do is pair off and limit yourself to easily-cancelled spells. Try not to hit people in neighboring lanes. If I see you doing it on purpose, it's detention with Filch." It was kind of amazing how quickly the old cop had settled into what he needed to do to keep students in line. "Everyone in my classes should know a little bit they can do by this point. Upper-years, I expect to see solid shields. Silent casting if you can manage it. Pick your partners."
Harry obviously picked Ron, which left Hermione and Neville after her roommates paired off and Seamus chose Dean. And Ron was trying, he really was. But within five minutes, it was kind of clear that Ron was never going to land a hit on Harry unless he let him, and he was having to deliberately miss to make Ron think he was doing well. To be honest, it wasn't a surprise: nobody wanted to duel him in Dawlish's class anymore, either.
"Worried this might happen," the auror himself noted dryly, having wandered between the dueling aisles and spotted Harry not being challenged by his best friend. "Any other second-years think they can take Potter?" he shouted to the crowd.
The Hufflepuffs they shared class with shook their heads, some of the Ravenclaws started to consider it, but it was, of course, Malfoy, who popped off with, "I'll put him in his place!" He had the grace to look slightly-shaken when every kid that Harry had defense class with looked at him in pity.
Harry shrugged and followed Dawlish up to the exhibition platform. On the other side, Draco was receiving some quiet advice from Snape, and grinned evilly at Harry as the professor clearly demonstrated a wand gesture. He pranced up to the platform and sneered, settling into a dueling stance.
"Scared, Potter? Ready for me to beat you like I did at quidditch?"
Harry frowned and asked, "Did you bring a dementor to get the win for you this time too?"
Before the trash-talking could escalate, Dawlish interrupted with, "Formal rules, so you bow first. I know it's not necessary in actual combat, but this is sport." Like Fudge, Dawlish couldn't afford to alienate Lucius Malfoy's son, but after two months in the school with the spoiled brat, he knew how much he was about to enjoy the coming match. "As before, keep it to easily-dispelled effects." He stepped back, raised the wards, and ordered, "Begin!"
Draco sketched a quick bow and then immediately started casting before the word had even fully left Dawlish's mouth. Not that the blatant cheating helped him.
Draco Malfoy casts Knockback Jinx at Harry Potter: Failure (Dodge)
Draco Malfoy casts Dancing Feet Spell at Harry Potter: Failure (Dodge)
Draco Malfoy casts Freezing Charm at Harry Potter: Failure (Dodge)
Draco Malfoy casts Disarming Charm at Harry Potter: Failure (Dodge)
Draco Malfoy casts Fire-Making Charm at Harry Potter: Failure (Dodge)
Draco was clearly getting furious that everything he was throwing Harry just negligently stepped out of the way of. He wasn't even casting, just waiting for a chance while the Slytherin boy tired himself out.
Draco Malfoy casts Snake Summoning Spell
Harry Potter casts Knockback Jinx at Summoned Snake: Success
Harry raised an eyebrow at Draco managing to conjure an evil-looking (and likely venomous) snake and cast, "Flipendo!" without missing a beat to send it sailing back at Draco, who panicked, unable to dodge Harry's, "Expelliarmus!"
Harry Potter casts Disarming Charm at Draco Malfoy: Success
"And, that's the duel," Dawlish ordered as Harry caught Draco's wand. He quickly lowered the wards and cast, "Finite!" to dispel the snake before it could bite its summoner.
20 Combat XP Awarded
That was half what Harry had gotten from other fights of people his own age, so maybe dueling halved it? At least he was getting XP in this format. He'd never gotten any practicing in the game system dueling mode with his guildmates.
"Anyone else from second year want to have a go?" Dawlish asked. Getting no takers he suggested, "Third year?"
The next thirty minutes was the longest in Harry's life. Other that Cormac McLaggen (soundly defeated), none of the Gryffindors wanted to try against Harry since they were keen to see him beat the other houses. Only a couple of Slytherins were willing to try, either, since there wasn't much upside in winning against a younger student, even if it was the Boy-Who-Lived. The third-year Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws weren't even a threat, though a couple, like Cho Chang and Eddie Carmichael at least made him use up some magical stamina working for the winning spell. The fact that he could dodge like crazy and never tire out was really helping him in what had turned into an endurance match. And showing how much more powerful third-years were than second-years, every time he won a duel he saw:
45 Combat XP Awarded
The fourth-years were harder, and worth 80 XP a battle. Nerys Orpington seemed to realize he had something to do with her problems, but went down. Adrian Pucey, one of Slytherin's chasers, also came after him and took a few shots from Harry before finally falling to a body bind. Roger Davies, of the Ravenclaw quidditch team, also took his shot and Harry barely got him, having to conserve stamina.
He finally went down against Hufflepuff golden boy Cedric Diggory. And "going down" just meant that he tapped out: Cedric had figured out how to cast a shield spell, and Harry didn't have anything that could get through it, especially as low on magical stamina as he was. Cedric couldn't land a hit on Harry either, but after over five minutes of stalemate, Harry set his wand down and bowed out.
At least he'd accumulated over 600 XP for the evening.
As both boys climbed off the dais to great applause, Harry realized a lot of people were looking at him with new consideration. Some of it was excitement at what a good showing he'd put on, but many other faces were weighing him up as someone that could fight way outside of his weight class. Snape seemed quietly enraged at the new information, and Flitwick was looking at him like he was going to introduce new challenges for him in charms class.
[Marauders: Active] Harry Potter: Uh… Do you think I overdid it?
And we're back. Please accept new chapters as my holiday gift to you all, and thanks to everyone for your patience over the hiatus. I have two more chapters in the buffer currently, and hope to get more written over the week I'm off for the holidays. I... honestly would probably have more chapters done if Midnight Suns hadn't come out as soon as I was done with NaNoWriMo.