Remus and Harry sat in the waiting room, the pair of them enjoying what Harry would call a comfortable silence. There was a roar of the crowd in the background, but Harry ignored it as he continued to take long breathes, doing everything he could to hone in on the feeling of his magic swirling around inside of his body.

There was a soft knock on the door and Harry opened his eyes, there being a slight silver ring around the green in them.

"You ready?" asked Remus

Harry nodded, not trusting his voice as it would show that he was perhaps not nearly as ready as he was pretending to be.

"Sorry that Sirius is too much of a nervous nancy to be here with you, but you know he's going to be in the stands" said Remus as they stood up, Harry not saying anything as he focused in on the swirling of magic around him now as they started walking through the door, down the hall and out of the tunnel.

The pleasantly shaded tunnel gave way to an opening that flooded them with bright light, the sun shining and the massive arena surrounding the stage was something that Harry was still trying to get used to.

"Do your best Harry" said Remus as he ruffled Harry's head before he departed, leaving Harry to make the rest of the trip himself.

The arena was a massive upside-down cone, with seats tornading around the stage, the stage wrapped in a shimmering translucent barrier of magic. The dark line cutting the 10 meter stage in half, giving each person exactly a 5 by 5 meter box to use during their round.

Harry looked as another teenager, a slightly older blonde girl walk past him, her face twisted into a confident smirk as her opponent left the match on a stretcher.

Harry finally made his way to the edge of the barrier and the referee grabbed his wand, examining it for any trickery and using the temporary labeling rune to verify that the wand did in fact belong to one; Harry James Potter the 14 year old wizard representing the UK in the U15 Dueling Summer Circuit.

Harry walked through the barrier of magic that protected the audience and he shivered as the icy cold feeling of magic washed over his body. The referee made his way over to the other side and Harry saw his opponent for the first time. A tall slender girl, her bright red hair making it's way down to the middle of her back. Her eyes were a sparkling amber color, that shined brightly in the sunlight. Her skin was tanned, mostly due to her being not from the UK or even Western Europe. No, the young Greek woman was very much foreign to Harry and as she pulled off her traveling cloak to reveal her fitted dueling robes, Harry was glad his clothing was a big more on the bagger side.

Alaxy Anestis was the runner up the previous two years to someone who had used the code name Rose, now as she was turning 15 in the next month, everyone knew that she wanted nothing more to win this before moving onto the U17 tournament in France later in the summer. The U15 had been a place for young talented duelist to stomp weaker teenagers and build up confidence before making their way to the U17 circuit where it was invite only for ranked teenagers. Harry also know that he was the person who had the very unbright idea to be standing in her way on her mission. Alaxy was the number 33rd ranked teenager in Europe for a reason, and not just because she was a pretty girl.

Harry hadn't expected to even get this far, he had simply wanted to test his abilities and an excuse to practice and cast magic during the summer. Not that he couldn't do that at home, Sirius didn't care much for the Ministry and their rules.

The U15 circuit was less popular than the U17 circuit, mostly due to the fact that less people were worth watching. Most 12, 13, and 14 year olds were simply not impressive witches and wizards, but post OWLs? Most 15 and 16 year olds were just as capable as the average wizard, if not more impressive as they were still learning what their limits are.\

Thus, when Harry signed up, Sirius was more than willing to let him do his thing. When Harry accidently blasted the first 12 year old off the stage with a simple banishing charm, Sirius put down a sizeable bet on Harry to win the entire thing. The second match had ended when Harry summoned the young man's underwear and gave him a wedgy that was too uncomfortable to continue with. The third fight had ended when the young lady realized that not of her spells were strong enough to break his shield charm. The quarter and semifinals matches ended when Harry stunned the young men after trading spells back and forth.

Despite the lack of formal training, the lack of history in dueling, Harry was simply more powerful than most of these other children. They weren't impressive duelers to begin with, which when combined with the mismatch in power and control of magic, made Harry simply too much for the other children to handle.

The only person to have an easier time than him, was Alaxy Anestis who he was about to face. Of course, the difference was that she was actually a real dueler who had spent the earlier rounds picking people apart and having fun.

Harry stepped onto the stage, making his way over towards the starting spot in the middle of the box.

Alaxy made her way to her spot, and she looked at him as if she was trying to decide if he was worth her time or not.

"Best of luck" said Harry

She snorted, "If my luck was really what you wished for, you could jump out off the stage and hand me a win"

Harry shook his head, "You know that you would hate me if I simply handed over a win"

Alaxy nodded and the referee's voice cut in between them, "Alaxy Anestis, do you agree to cast only approved spells?"

"Yes" declared Alaxy

"Harry Potter, do you agree to cast only approved spells?"

"Yes sir" answered Harry

"Perfect, this finals is going to be three rounds instead of the usual single round from previous stages of the tournament. You have both submitted a list of spells you wished to perform prior to the tournament and received private feedback on what was approved. Having agreed on the agreed upon spells, if you deviate from that list of spells, the panel of judges will determine a punishment from losing points in the duel to losing an entire round. Each round is the first to five points, a point is awarded any time a spell makes direct contact with a participate and causes damage. Hitting the ground is a point as well, losing your wand is three points, getting knocked out or landing outside of your box on the stage is instantly a loss of the round. As always, you can send up a spray of white sparks to surrender the round. Any questions?"

Alaxy and Harry both shook their heads negative, and the referee raised his wand and started the match with a spray of red sparks and a bang that echoed throughout the arena.

Alaxy without hesitation flicked her wand multiple times, sending a trio of stunners at Harry. But Harry was ready for it, he had been studying her matches after all. Weaving through the spells, Harry send a mild blasting curse into the ground before banishing the dust that kicked up at Alaxy.

Alaxy waved her wand in a circle, and she was wrapped in a dome of orange flames that turned the spray of sand into a shiny glass dome, which when she slashed her wand, she managed to shatter the dome as well as transfiguring the shards of glass into arrows.

They cut through the air too fast for Harry to do anything more than throw up a shield charm and hope that they didn't break though. He was not that lucky as the shield held up until the last couple and he felt a sharp stinging sensation along his shoulder as an arrow had sliced through the top of his right shoulder.

His right arm spasmed slightly as he jabbed his wand and sent a tornado at Alaxy who for her part tried to shield against it. It ripped up the stage around her shimmering dome and Harry shot a blast of fire into the spinning wind and the tornado was set ablaze.

Harry could hear the gasp of Alaxy before the ground shook and Harry watched as geysers of water erupted from under the stage, soaking everything.

Harry thinking quickly sent a frostbite spell into the soaked ground and as Alaxy tried to recover from the fiery tornado, she found herself frozen to the ground. The second she turned her wand towards the ground to negate the spell, she was hit in the chest by a banishing charm that sent her flying off the stage and slamming into the barrier around the stage.

Alaxy looked up at Harry with nothing but pure anger, her eyes locked onto form with enough heat that Harry was certain that he would burst into flames any second. She stood up and dusted herself off, muttering to herself as she returned to the stage that the referee had repaired with a wave of his wand.

Both of them standing in the middle of their boxes, neither of them could hear the roaring crowd as Alaxy and Harry started for the second round, the excitement palpable in the air for both of them. The referee, standing between them, raised his wand once more, signaling the start of the round with a burst of red sparks that fizzled in the sky above.

This time, Harry was the first to act. He pointed his wand at the ground and muttered an incantation. The stage beneath Alaxy's feet started to quake as massive roots burst from the marble, twisting and coiling around her legs. Alaxy, unfazed, flicked her wand with precision, causing the roots to burst into flames and disintegrate into ashes.

Before Harry could react, Alaxy had already conjured a storm of sharp, icy shards that whirled towards him. With a swift motion, Harry summoned a barrier of roaring magic that deflected the shards in all directions with a deafening gong.

Alaxy didn't let up. She twirled her wand, and from the tip erupted a serpent made of pure lightning, its scales crackling with electricity. It slithered through the air, aiming straight for Harry. He barely managed to leap aside, feeling the static charge prickling his skin. As the serpent twisted in mid-air to strike again, Harry batted in in a a manner that reflected the creature back at Alaxy.

Anticipating this, Alaxy dispelled the serpent as she unleashed water from her wand which she then shaped into a massive wave, crashing it down on Harry. He responded with a powerful fire spell, evaporating the water into a thick steam that enveloped the stage. The arena was filled with the sound of sizzling and the audience's anxious murmurs.

In the obscuring mist, Harry cast a spell to heighten his senses. He could hear Alaxy's movements, the subtle rustle of her robes. He aimed his wand and fired a series of disarming spells. Alaxy, however, moved with the grace of a dancer, weaving through the attacks and retaliating with bolts of magical energy that lit up the steam like lightning.

The steam began to dissipate, and both duelists were revealed, breathing heavily but unyielding. Alaxy's eyes burned with determination as she raised her wand high and slashed downwards, causing lightning to strike down at Harry, who couldn't do anything to avoid it, the bolt hitting his body as his dueling robes managed to absorb most of the damage that the attack could have done.

With a defiant cry, Harry summoned a storm of wind blades directed them at Alaxy. She responded by conjuring a whirlwind of water that caught the blades, transforming them into harmless splashes. Then, with a powerful thrust of her wand, she sent the water crashing towards Harry in a tidal wave.

Harry was prepared. With a sweeping gesture, he froze the wave solid and shattered it with a blast of concussive force. The ice shards flew like shrapnel, but Alaxy deftly turned them into harmless petals that fluttered to the ground.

As Harry was panting from the effort of the duel, Alaxy jabbed her wand at him and he looked around to figure out what spell she was using but much to his surprise, it was a smaller bubble head charm inside of his mouth.

Instantly, he started wheezing as he couldn't suck in any air into his lungs past the spell. He slashed his wand at Alaxy, sending more blades of wind at her as he tried to puncture the bubble in his mouth.

The force of the bubble bursting inside his body send his head flying back with enough force that he did a backflip, his wand ripped from his hand before he could right himself. Harry flipped onto all fours as he let out a series of rough coughs that hurt his throat.

The referee, sensing the intensity of the duel, raised his wand to signal the end of the round, awarding the round to Alaxy.

Both Alaxy and Harry, who had to climb to his feet, stood panting, their clothes tattered, and their bodies bruised, but their spirits unbroken. The crowd erupted into thunderous applause, acknowledging the display of skill, endurance, and most importantly, the violence/

Alaxy and Harry exchanged a nod of respect, knowing that the final round awaited them. This duel was far from over, and both were determined to give it everything they had. Harry extended his hand and his wand shot into his hand. Harry let out a couple of more rough calls as he continued to struggle to get air into his lungs properly. He gagged on the saliva building up in his mouth and spat out the mouthful.

As the referee repaired the stage once more, Harry was able to take a moment to take in the rabid crowd's anticipation reached a fever pitch as the referee prepared to start the third and final round. Alaxy and Harry, both visibly worn but fiercely determined, stood in their respective boxes. The referee raised his wand, and a burst of red sparks signaled the beginning of the round.

Harry wasted no time, launching a barrage of fiery projectiles toward Alaxy. She deftly twirled her wand, conjuring a barrier of shimmering water that absorbed the flames and transformed them into harmless steam. With a flick of her wrist, Alaxy turned the steam into dense fog, obscuring the stage.

Harry, not deterred by the limited visibility, closed his eyes and concentrated. He cast a spell that heightened his senses, allowing him to detect Alaxy's presence through the thick fog. He launched a series of disarming spells in her direction, each one narrowly missing as she moved with uncanny grace.

Suddenly, the fog lifted, revealing Alaxy standing with her wand pointed directly at Harry. She gestured upwards, and a massive storm cloud formed above the stage, crackling with lightning and swirling with fierce winds. The storm unleashed its fury on Harry, who conjured a powerful barrier to withstand the onslaught.

The ground shook as Harry redirected the storm's energy into the ground, causing a ring of jagged earth to rise around Alaxy. She leaped into the air, her wand glowing as she cast a spell that turned the earth into a swarm of luminescent butterflies. They swirled around Harry, momentarily distracting him as she prepared her next attack.

From her wand emerged a colossal dragon made of pure fire. It roared and lunged at Harry, who countered by summoning a torrent of water that clashed with the fiery beast. Steam exploded from the collision, and the dragon dissipated into a cloud of embers.

Harry, seizing the moment, cast a spell that encased the stage in a dome of reflective mirrors. Alaxy found herself surrounded by countless reflections, each one mimicking her movements. She quickly realized the tactic and closed her eyes, relying on her magical senses to detect Harry's true location.

Spectral swords materialized and converged on Alaxy. She raised her wand, creating a whirlwind of wind and water that deflected the blades with a deafening clash.

The two duelists stood panting, their energy nearly spent. Alaxy's eyes blazed with determination as she conjured an avalanche of snow that sprayed at Harry from above her head. She hurled it toward Harry, who responded with equal ferocity, raising his wand and summoning his own elemental spell, a firestorm. The two orbs collided in a spectacular explosion of light and magic that shook the entire arena.

Harry emerged from the explosion, barely scratched, and pressed his advantage. A trio of stunners spat out the end of his wand, followed by a shockwave that ripped up parts of the stage that he quickly banished at her. Alaxy in a fit of panic threw up a mage shield and found herself sliding backwards on the stage even as her shield held up.

Harry never let up, slamming everything, he could think of into the shield. Blasts of fire, dirt, debris, water, rocks, and lightning raced across the stage and slammed into the shield, pushing Alaxy further and further away from him.

"You're in over your head Alaxy, there is no escaping this. GIVE UP" roared Harry as he sent a series of icy shards at her.

Desperation flashed in Alaxy's eyes as she was pushed to the edge of the stage. Her chest was heaving from the strain of trying to keep up the shield. Despite the spray of spells slamming into her shield, she actually was distracted by a soft gust of wind that crossed her torso. Glancing down, she found that her robes and been damaged to the point that it had several gashes in the fabric, with said fabric fighting for it's life. Much like her in this moment if she was being honest. In a bold and unexpected move, she grabbed onto the front of her shirt, ripping the neckline in a single motion. Harry blinked and his eyes dipped to the newly exposed tan skin. Thinking quickly, Alaxy swiftly pulled off the rest of her shirt, quite literally tearing the fabric from her body, revealing her bra clad breasts. The sudden and shocking action caught Harry off guard. His concentration wavered as his eyes involuntarily followed the movement, his face turning a bright red as he took in the sight.

Seizing the opportunity, Alaxy aimed her wand as she dropped her shield as Harry stopped casting magic at her and unleashed a powerful blast banishing spell that struck Harry square in the chest. He was thrown backward, his wand slipping from his grasp as he landed hard on the ground, skidding to the edge of the stage before falling off it.

The referee quickly awarded the round and duel to Alaxy, before giving her a conjured shirt to cover herself up with.

Harry sat up as Alaxy walked over towards him, "I didn't expect that"

Alaxy laughed as she blushed from her response, "Well maybe if you could focus, you would have won"

Harry shrugged, "Next time I'll vanish my pants and see how you react"

Alaxy blushed deepened, "You are a hell of a duelist Harry, I can't wait to see what ranking they give you for the U17 invite"

"Hopefully something on the other side of the bracket from you" admitted Harry

"Yeah, although I wouldn't mind crossing wands with you again" commented Alaxy, "Hopefully it is in a more established circuit"

Harry climbed back up to his feet as he rubbed the back of his head, his messy locks looking as untamed as ever, "Yeah. Hopefully I get some more training done before the next tournament invites come out in three weeks"

"Best of luck Harry" said Alaxy as she started to depart, but not before she flashed him a big grin, "And remember my eyes are up here"

Harry's face turned red, and the referee laughed at the interaction. As Harry spent the next hour getting fully checked out by the healer, he was happy to be granted permission by the bubbly lady and given the okay to go home with Sirius.

As he signed out, he was greeted by a trio of people; Sirius, Remus, and much to his surprise, Fleur.

"Hey" greeted Harry, a smile making its way onto his face, "What are you guys doing here, I was just about to sign out"

Sirius pulled him into a tight hug, before breaking it and giving him a once over to make sure that he was okay before slapping him across the back of the head.

"You can be stupid, you can be reckless, you can't be both" tsk'd Sirius as Remus rolled his eyes.

"I remember you being both for over two decades now" reminded Remus

"Yeah but that's different" whined Sirius

Fleur giggled as she took a step closer to Harry, her body giving off a subtle hint of Honey and Peppermint, it was intoxicating to Harry. Had she smelled this good the last time that he had seen her? No, he would have remembered smelling anything that smelled this good. Her skin was perfect, hair wrapped up in a tight bun as she wore a set of Gringotts Employee robes, the chocolate brown robes were tailored to fit her form. She smiled and her teeth gleamed in the light, her eyes sparkling a crystal blue, like seeing the ocean on a perfect summer day.

Had she always been this perfect?

Harry dispelled the notion with a pulse of magic internally, the alure that had finally gotten him losing its control over him.

"I'm surprised that you came" noted Harry

"And miss my friend being in the U15 circuit finals?" questioned Fleur, "This was a rather entertaining duel, much better than many of the previous duels that I've seen"

Harry blinked, "You're the previous champion, Rose"

Fleur nodded, "I had wished to test my abilities, see if there was another paths forward outside of enchanting and warding. But as much as I found dueling to be fun and interesting, I would rather create than destroy"

Harry nodded in agreement before he admitted, "I agree, I don't think I have much of a future in dueling"

"Decided to be a master enchanter like me" said Fleur as she struck a pose with her hands on her hips, her head held high.

"I was thinking of something a bit more fun, maybe something like being a professional Quidditch player" replied Harry

Fleur looked at him with a look of confusion on her face, "You know you're one of the brightest young minds that I've ever met before right? I don't think I've met anyone else who had taken to understanding runes and magic like you have"

"I'm young, maybe I can do both" shrugged Harry

Fleur rolled her eyes as Sirius and Remus approached the two of them, having finished their bickering.

"Come one Harry, let's go out and celebrate this second place finish" said Sirius before his eyes glanced over to Fleur, "You are more than welcome to invite your girlfriend here if you want"

Harry blushed bright red, "She's just a friend"

Fleur gasped playfully and in a tragically stereotypically broken accented English, "Oh how you wound me with your words Harry. I thought you and I had something special, I even told my Maman and Papa about our love"

Harry grumbled, "I can't stand you"

Sirius let out a barking laugh and Remus snorted loudly, "You get used to this idiot Harry"

Sirius clapped his hands together, "So, Fleur is it? Do you wanna join us for some dinner? I have a town car outside waiting for us"

Fleur nodded and Sirius and Remus led the way, Harry and Fleur trailing behind his uncles as they made their chitchat about the restaurant they were going to.

Fleur glanced at Harry as they walked, "So, that was a funny way to lose"

She laughed as Harry once again turned red, before she leaned in and whispered, "Should I be jealous that she beat me to the punch and showed off her body to you before I did?"

Harry's face turned a deeper shade of red and he gargled as his brain went into a melt down at the thought of Fleur's curvier body.

Fleur smirked as she told Sirius and Remus of the joke, the three of them laughing at the frozen Harry's brain was having a meltdown.

A/N: I tried to throw in a fun little summer chapter. We have maybe one more chapter before the start of Fourth Year, or I might have a section of the new chapter finishing up the summer vacation and getting us to the start of the TriWizard Tournament.

Hope you guys like the dueling in this chapter as I have a dueling scene in the next chapter of DC that I am prepping for.

I have still not decided on a pairing, but I will say that Fleur is always one of the options that I am open to. I have also thought about Susan Bones, Daphne Greengrass, Hermione, and Padme. Outside of those 5, haven't seen any way that I could work in a love interest worth including.

As always, please think about joining my discord, lots of conversations and just overall good vibes in there. Join using invite code: wV4bzhyQ

Until next time