Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

...

Harry couldn't particularly recollect how many students had remained behind at Hogwarts the first time that he had gone through his second year. There had been a bit of a panic flee regarding a majority of students returning home for the holidays due to the imminent fear of being attacked. Those that had remained behind had done so with their faith that Gilderoy Lockhart would protect them from any beast lurked in the halls of Hogwarts.

Currently there was an extensive legal battle ongoing regarding the former Hogwarts Professor which did bring a smile to Harry's face each time he read about it in the Daily Prophet. The Quibbler, seeing the opportunity to cling onto a conspiracy was claiming that all those who were currently saying that Lockhart was innocent had been bewitched by hexed volumes of his books.

It definitely wasn't the strangest thing that the Quibbler had written about.

Focusing back on the present, Harry scanned over the people currently having dinner in the dining hall. It seemed that without the looming threat of being attacked and petrified, a good number of his peers had opted to stay within the halls of Hogwarts this time round. It wasn't surprising to see a number of those who had remained belonged to the older students. First year students frequently ended up going home due to the fact it was their first time away from home for such a long period of time. They wanted to be reunited with their families and tell them all the wonders of Hogwarts first hand as opposed to trying to put it all on parchment and ink. Given how much actually happened at the school, Harry could imagine that a number of the owls in the roost often made multiple trips to the same household.

Now, one could question as to why Harry was so determined to think of such odd things at this the moment of time. Were anybody to know the reason however they would have questioned as to the twelve year old boy wasn't nearly having a panic attack.

After all, once dinner had finished then he would remain behind where the doors would be sealed leaving only himself, Dumbledore, McGonagall, Madam Pomfrey, Snape and Flitwick locked in the room. Most of them he could figure out why they would want to bare witness to the battle that was about to take place. Albus because, more than likely, he knew just what he and Flitwick had done at the end of the previous year when taking down Quirrell. That or Flitwick had given him an exceptionally good excuse as to why Harry wasn't partaking in his classes during the year.

Professor McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey were pretty easy to explain. As his head of house Minerva was concerned for his safety and Madam Pomfrey was on hand to heal any immediate injuries to either party.

What moderately confused him was that Flitwick had informed him that Snape would be in attendance. Harry couldn't figure out just what reason the Potions Master had for sticking around to watch a preteen duel a teacher. The only conclusive reason he could think of was that after the incident with the attack in Snape's classroom and Harry's consequential act in taking command of the situation had peaked his interest.

Regardless, he knew that they would be watching the outcome of what they likely expected to be a one sided affair. Harry knew that. Flitwick was a master of the duelling circuit. Which was why he needed to tilt the battle in his favour if he got the chance. All it required was very specific wording before the bout began.

...

Susan looked on at the courtyard in front of her, glistening snow gently descending from the sky. By this stage of the break, she had expected to be at home cooking marshmallows over an enchanted flame. Or at least that had been her plan before her aunty had written to her and informed her that she wouldn't be able to spend much time with her over the break and that it would be better for her to spend the holidays with her friends.

Well, the friends that remained at Hogwarts at least. Sadly, she was the youngest of the students from Hufflepuff to remain at Hogwarts with only a couple of third years being the closest in age.

The harder part as well was that she was unsure whether it was safe for her to send out a message to the members of Potter Club to see how many of them were still in attendance. The enchanted parchment that they used to communicate with each other however was linked to each of the members. Were she to write something and the parchment was viewed by a family member it was very possible that she would inadvertently blow their cover.

There was one major benefit she had to consider though and that was that while Harry may not have been spending the holidays with her and Amelia, he was spending it at the castle. The major issue regarding that however was the difference in houses. In the confines of her home they would be able to spend time with one another without rumours spreading.

In Hogwarts however, they would not get such privacy.

In order for her to actually talk with him meant that she would have to approach him at some stage and ask to spend time with him. Automatically that would send the rumour mill spinning. It wasn't as if they saw much of each other throughout the school year and those that were aware of their friendship had more than likely gone home for the break.

No matter what way she wanted to approach it, it would seem as if she was going and asking for Harry to join her for some one on one alone time.

Almost like a da...

The redness in her cheeks painted a stark contrast against the snow as she rushed out into the elements to cool her head.

...

"Could you please repeat your reasoning as to why you don't want the tables moved Mister Potter?" asked Professor McGonagall, her wand out and prepared to give the two duelists the space they required.

"I'd rather be prepared for a battle that could take place at any time in any situation," said Harry with a shrug of the shoulders. "You never know when you could be attacked."

"A rather morbid viewpoint," drolled Snape. "Though not an uncommon one from years gone by."

"I'm not looking to enter the dueling circuit," declared Harry. "Rather I know that I was attacked by as a child by Voldemort and if somebody comes along to finish the job it isn't going to be in a one on one duel on a level playing field."

Somewhere in the back of his mind he recalled how Voldemort had straight up challenged him to a duel after his resurrection. That being said had he not been taking the absolute piss out of it, Tom could have killed in a number of different ways within a handful of seconds. He just chose to posture in front of his posse however and it prevented him from dealing the killing blow when Harry was vulnerable.

"While unorthodox, I see no reason to deny you your advantage," said Flitwick, a small smile on his lips.

Harry couldn't help but allow a small smirk to grace his lips. He had figured that Flitwick would see the whole idea of being able to utilize the surrounding area amusing.

"In which case, if both combatants are ready," said Dumbledore, pausing for dramatic effect. "Begin."

For a moment neither fighter moved, each wary to see just what it was that the other would do. After the brief stand off, it was Harry who acted first, lifting how wand up and casting the blinding light spell that Luna had caught him with back in the first training session. The effect was immediate as Flitwick raised up his hand to bloc his eyes from the light before casting a protective shield in front of him.

Exactly as Harry had predicted he would. With his spare hand, Harry pulled a rock out of his hand and tossed it in an arc towards where Flitwick was standing. "Engorgio!" cast Harry, hitting the projectile and multiplying its size many times over, causing the previously small rock to become a boulder.

With what limited vision he had, Flitwick could just make out the object of devastation hurtling towards him and was able to cause the boulder to stop in mid flight. He wasn't able to stop the bench that he had been standing near from slinging across and hitting him in the shoulder. His grip on his wand however remained firm before the boulder he was holding in place exploded, sending debris raining across the hall.

By now, Flitiwick had managed to get his sense of sight back but unfortunately the person he was searching for was not standing in front of him.

...

"I must admit that this proving far more entertaining than I had anticipated," stated Severus as he and the other members of the faculty watched Filius proceed forward with caution, searching for the illusive student.

"Mister Potter rewrote the rules to his own advantage," stated Albus. "In a standard duel the only items allowed to utilize is your wand and his opening move already used something else. He has lost the essence of surprise however and Filius is now on guard, it will be hard to strike him from here."

"That may be so," said Minerva, sounding quite irate. "However that doesn't explain why Mister Potter is able to compete in such a way. Having a plan is one thing but being able to hit such a small object midflight requires incredibly aim. It must have taken him days if not weeks in order to perfect that attack alone."

"I'm more worried about why he wished to come up with such a plan in the first place," stated Madam Pomfrey. "Surely he doesn't believe that even with these obscure tactics that he has a chance of winning."

Even though she tried to make it sound like a declaration, the waiver in her voice informed everybody who was listening that even she believed that an upset could very well be on the cards.

...

Harry remained motionless, standing in place and shielded from view by runes that he had set up the previous night. Calming his heart rate, he considered what his next option was to be. It would only be so long before Flitwick performed a wide area attack to draw him out of hiding. Thankfully, this was not the only set of runes that he had in place.

"Belli Nebula!" said Harry, triggering the runes that he had placed around the room.

While Flitwick turned to face him, his viewpoint was immediately obscured as thick fog began to pour forth from each of the runes that Harry had created. Flitwick unleashed a swift barrage of spells which Harry was more than happy to simply leap to the side, rolling to safety as the hall became blanketed in his smokescreen.

He hoped that Flitwick would utilize this time to regroup himself, however it simply wasn't meant to be. Harry watched as the fog he had crafted was all drawn inwards to where Flitwick had been standing. It did however give Harry a very clear idea of where the Professor was currently located. "Expelliarmus!" shouted Harry, aiming straight at the heart of where his previous spell was circling.

His spell however did not hit his intended target, flying straight ahead before colliding with the far wall. "You're not the only person who can utilize a distraction," stated Flitwick, though his voice echoed from several different directions.

"Projecting your voice in order to disorient me, nice," commented Harry as he considered his options. Spinning on the spot, Harry cast his next spell. "Glacier Murus!"

His spell took effect, a wall of solid ice forming around him. "Was it wise to give away your position Harry?" asked Flitwick.

"Perhaps not, but it should protect me from this," said Harry as he triggered his next set of runes."Ignire!"

Flitwick braced himself for any attack to come from any direction around him. He however didn't look up as the vast number of fireworks that Harry had set up earlier had their fuzes lit, each of the miniature rockets aiming straight downwards. The whistling was the first warning that Flitwick received before pandemonium began.

...

Susan was walking through the corridor when she heard it, almighty explosions ringing out one after the other. Her first instinct was to run away from whatever it was that was causing that racket but curiosity and intrigue got the better of her and she found herself moving towards the sounds of danger.

It didn't take her long to discover the source was coming from within the Great Hall but the doors were closed, preventing her from seeing just what it was that was going on. Only once she had been denied entry into the hall and that had been when, she assumed, the Head of Potter Club had been confronting all of the teachers.

She could only imagine just what it was that was currently going on in there. Or more importantly, who was currently in there.

...

It didn't take long for Flitwick to banish the smoke that had come as a side effect of the incredibly loud noises and bright lights. Harry's attempt to rid him of his senses had worked far more than the professor would like to admit with him coughing violently in an attempt to expunge the smoke from his system.

It was battle instincts that swiftly came into play, conjuring a shield to block the spellfire that Harry sent his way from atop one of the tables. Utilizing a small break in Harry's casting, Flitwick shuffled to the side before using a first year charm to levitate the table that Harry was standing on. While first year students could only raise a feather up at a moderate pace, Filius was not a first year student.

The table rose at a swift pace, Harry maintaining his balance while keeping his eyes locked on his opponent. Filius couldn't help but allow himself to smile, finding that he was enjoying this battle far more than he thought he would have. It was clear that Harry had been using his time wisely. At this rate he would be more than happy to have Harry access select parts of the Restricted Section if he continued to grow in skill at this level of rate.

"Do you have any tricks up your sleeve to get yourself out of this one Mister Potter?" queried Flitwick, silently hoping that he would get to see more of what Harry had to offer.

"Not without making myself an easy target or breaking my ankles on the landing," stated Harry. Filius could tell in the tone of his voice that Harry was considering the option if it could guarantee him victory. "As much as I love spending time in the Hospital Wing, I m going to have to concede."

"Well I must say that you put up a good fight Mister Potter," said Flitwick as he lowered the table back into its prior position. "I take it you still have some tricks up your sleeve."

"Of course, I'm not going to show everything off. Have to keep some secrets for this time next year," said Harry as his feet hit the ground.

"That would be splendid!" proclaimed Filius.

"I must say that you did put on quite a show," declared Albus as he and the other faculty members stepped forth to meet the two combatants. "How much preparation did you require into putting this off Harry?"

"Fred and George owed me a few favours which helped me secure the fireworks," explained Harry. "I brought my broom in here and set them all up after breakfast. Once they get over the awe of the enchantments, very few people actually look up at the ceiling."

"Hidden in plain sight," drolled Snape. "Rather cunning of you."

"What about the fog that you summoned?" enquired McGonagall. "I am quite adamant that such a spell is not taught to second year students."

"I got the idea for that from Luna Lovegood," admitted Harry. "Her mother had taught her a spell that could create a blanket of fog and I just used in accordingly."

"By manipulating the spell into a rune, magic well beyond your years," said McGonagall sternly.

"I haven't been sitting around doing nothing while skipping Charms," said Harry with a shrug of the shoulders.

"You've been permitting him to be absent from your class Filius?" asked Snape.

"Had I known just what an opponent I was going to create, I woul have had him miss half of first year as well," beamed Filius, pleased with the result. "If I were to give you the syllabus for third year and you can pass the exams by the end of this school year, I'll allow you to use your time more productively next year."

"You spoil the boy."

"At ease Severus, we must admit that Mister Potter has earned this reprieve if he is attempting to prepare himself for what is to come," said Albus.

"That doesn't sound ominous at all," scoffed Harry.

"I second your statement Mister Potter," said Madam Pomfrey.

With a grand wave of his arm, Dumbledore opened the doors to the Great Hall opened. "I think you have earned yourself a good nights sleep," he proclaimed.

"Seek me out tomorrow Mister Potter and we can go over the battle in closer details," said Filius, giddy at the idea. He felt that Harry could teach him something new at this point.

"Sounds like a plan," said Harry. "I'll be on my way then."

"Indeed," said Minerva, still shocked by what she had witnessed.

As Harry turned towards the exit he was somewhat surprised to find somebody spriting towards him at top speed. Susan barely managed to stop herself in time mere feet away from where Harry stood. "Hey Susan...what's up?" he managed to get out.

"Don't you what's up me Harry!" exclaimed Susan. "I heard explosions going off in here and you're in the middle of it. You better tell me what happened right now or I'm telling aunty!"

"That's...a legitimate threat," said Harry choosing his words carefully. With a subtle nudge of the head, he gestured Susan to follow him as he started walking towards the exit. From behind him he could hear the faculty members start whispering to one another.

Surely they wouldn't start picturing the two of them as a couple.

Surely.

...

Hope you enjoyed.