Duelling Chamber

Chapter 18. Duelling Chamber

"Expelliarmus!"

The spell struck Ron, and his wand went flying. The boy let out a grumble but offered Dean a nod before darting after his wand.

The entirety of the fourth-year students were here, in the Duelling Chamber, which was a giant room on par with the Great Hall. It was strange that such a room had been kept hidden on the third floor. But the castle loved playing tricks on the students and the professors alike, so strange was something everyone had gotten used to. Strange was normal.

Their day to use this chamber was today. It had been more than a month since the Duelling Club was revived, and by now, everyone was familiar with the routine: Monday for the first-years, Tuesday for the second-years, Wednesday for the third-years, and so on, with the exhausted seventh-years allowed to use it on Sunday.

Four high balconies ran along the walls, looking down at the expansive floor where dozens of students were already engaged in mock duels. Harry and Tracey were with the Hufflepuffs, the only green-robed ones in the crowd of yellow, occupying one of these balconies.

"Anyone looking interesting?" Tracey asked, bumping her shoulder with his.

Harry pulled his gaze away from the hilariously incompetent duels and spared her a glance. "Nope. If it wasn't for the tournament, I wouldn't even waste my time with these beginners."

"Arrogant much?"

"Am I really arrogant if I can back it up?"

"Then why even participate?"

Harry blinked and gave her an amused smile. "Why not? I will get the chance to legally beat the newbies. And maybe some will even surprise me. If nothing else, Neville will give me a good fight to make it memorable."

This was one thing he could be sure of. Most mornings, the two boys put themselves through hell to get stronger. And it was showing. Their physique was getting more defined, and their stamina was improving too. Harry could now run faster. He could now duel for longer. Of course, Neville could run and duel even longer than him. But that was alright; he had other weapons to bridge that gap.

"I hope you're not underestimating me," she grumbled, leaning against him.

"Then fight me for real," he replied, appreciating the cosy warmth radiating from her sweater. Not to mention her vanilla perfume, which made it difficult not to embrace her.

"Someone I know and admire told me to keep my cards hidden until needed," she said sagely.

"That someone sounds wise."

"I'm not talking about you, just so you know."

Harry chuckled, knowing who she was talking about. "Where are Susan and Hannah? They were here a moment ago."

"There." She pointed down where the blonde and the ginger were squaring up against one another. "They got bored with just watching, I suppose."

"I am getting bored too."

"Wanna duel?"

"Sure, if only you'd go full out sometimes. That would make it so much better." He complained, taking her arm and navigating through the couple of Hufflepuffs.

A steep stairway led down to the floor from the side of the balcony. The two Slytherins hurried downwards, accustomed enough to the dangerous slope to run without worry. Once they were among their fellow year-mates, they found themselves a big enough space to duel in.

Harry's wand shot out of its holster and into his grip. "Ready?"

"Give me a moment." Tracey yelled from further away, kneeling and tying up her shoelaces.

While she did that, he wondered whether Daphne was really as good as Tracey bragged or if it was just sisterly bias. Because the number of times she had ignored his suggestions because Daphne had said otherwise made him a teeny-bit annoyed.

"Ready!" Tracey stood up and aimed her wand at him.

With a nod, the duel began. The chatter around them dampened, and their minds focused.

"Reducto!"

Tracey stood in her place and simply batted his spell away. This wasn't their first time, so there was no surprise at her elegant skill, and he dodged her whispered stunner with ease.

"Reducto! Reducto! Reducto! Reducto! Reducto!" He tried to box her in, his spellcasting far faster than hers—or anyone, for that matter. He was aware that she couldn't bat all of them away without getting hit. She'd have to—

And there it was. A large blue ephemeral shield blinked into existence before her. And it blinked out once it absorbed all the spells. This was a spell he had noticed her use many times before, but when he asked her what it was, he got an amusing answer.

'Family secrets.'

Heh. If he hadn't known better, he'd have thought she was taking revenge for the time he refused to teach her Magiscape. But the regret in her tone had been real, and he understood that sharing it with him would only create tensions between her and Daphne. So, he hadn't tried to pry the knowledge of these spells. Not that he needed them. He was doing more than fine without them.

He ducked under another stunner and sent a small fireball in her direction. "Incendio!"

Again, her ephemeral shield blinked in and out, absorbing and taking away his fire.

But both knew how it would end. Harry was going to win because she couldn't keep up with his speed for a prolonged period of time. He'd have liked to use some powerful spell to one-shot her, but there was a Prefect looking over them from the Ravenclaw group on one balcony. And only a select few spells were allowed in the absence of Professor Black. A bolt of lightning was definitely not on the list.

The duel went on longer than it should have, but the end result was the same, with him finally stunning her. Tracey's fighting style also remained the same as before, which involved getting firmly rooted in one place and not moving much for the entire bout. He had advised her against it, he had suggested to her to move and jump around. But this was her 'style' and she refused to change it.

He cancelled his stunner and helped her up. "You lost again."

"But I did last longer." She stuck out her tongue at his teasing tone.

"You could've lasted a lot longer if you had moved your arse."

"We're not having this discussion again," she groaned.

Before he could respond to that, Professor Black sauntered into the room.

"Gather around, children." She didn't raise her voice, but it rang throughout the chamber.

Her command was followed instantly. The ones on the ground divided and stood on opposite sides, leaving the centre stage to her. The remaining students from the balconies hastened down the stairs and joined them. Once everyone was standing on either side of her, silent and expectant, the corner of her lips curved up, and she swept her gaze over them.

"You must have heard the rumours. They are true. Every individual year group will have a Duelling Tournament. You will have it too. This tournament will run as long as it needs to. But I'm sure we'll be able to conclude it in a couple of months. It is just a school-organised affair, so don't expect monetary prize. But it is nothing to scoff at." She snapped her fingers, silencing the disappointed murmurs. "The reward for the fourth-year tournament is the Headmaster's notebook. And there will be detailed instructions on how to learn three semi-rare spells created by him. As I said, the reward is nothing to scoff at."

The collective mood did a one-eighty, and excited whispers filled the room. Harry looked at Tracey; her golden eyes were shining. He nudged her foot and shook his head. "Forget it. I'm going to win."

She scrunched her nose and whispered back, "We will see."

Before he could needle her more, Professor Black spoke up. "Now, we will begin the tournament. Yes, we are starting right now."

Everyone was stunned into silence before it burst into a loud mess of incoherent noise, as everyone started talking with everyone. Unlike many others—who were busy babbling—Harry and Tracey stared at Professor as she pulled something from her pocket. With a wave of a wand, it was enlarged, revealing itself to be a blackboard. Another wave, and names formed on it in white chalk. Abbott, Hannah; Bones, Susan…

She had to clap only once to get everyone's attention. "All your names are on the board. The matches will be random, and every round will be a knockout round. It means if you lose, you are out, no second chances. If you win, you proceed to the next round. Any questions?"

When no one raised their hands, she nodded slowly. "Good. Since we have time before dinner, we can conduct one duel right now."

The silence was deafening as every student held their breaths, some wishing to be selected while others dreaded exactly that. Professor Black turned towards the board and twirled her wand. All the names began disappearing until only two were left.

Greengrass, Daphne — Evans, Harry.

He froze, not knowing how to feel about it. Tracey took his hand and gave it a squeeze. Did that say 'be safe'? Or did that mean 'don't hurt Daphne'? He couldn't be sure.

"Everyone, except Mister Evans and Miss Greengrass, leave the floor and go to the balconies."

With one last glance at him, Tracey followed the Hufflepuff group to one balcony. Susan, Hannah, Neville, and Hermione shot him encouraging looks. Most other students were already cheering for him, which was not a surprise considering Slytherins were isolated and hated. And even though he was technically a Slytherin, everyone was aware of his 'renegading'. If someone else in his place faced Daphne, they'd get just as much—if not more—support.

His eyes finally met the chilly blue gaze of Daphne. Just like always, a polite smile adorned her face, while her eyes were cold and cruel. He wondered if Professor Black had taught her that look.

"Take position."

The two jogged away to stand on opposite ends of the narrow rectangle etched in the stony floor.

"Wands out."

With a flick of his wrist, his wand was in his grasp. He shouldn't have been surprised to see Daphne mirroring his action with her own wand and holster, but he was. Now they stood with their wands at their sides, with their eyes burning with competitiveness.

"Bow."

The two offered each other stiff bows.

He wondered if the blonde's heart was thundering too. He wondered if her palms were sweating too. He wondered… if she disliked him just as much as he disliked her too.

"Begin!" For the first time, Professor Black raised her voice. With her gesture, a transparent ward rose up to contain them and stop stray spells from leaving the arena.

No one attacked for a second; the two simply looked at each other appraisingly. Then Daphne planted herself in her spot and took up a defensive position with her wand pushed forward. He had seen it before; Tracey used this exact form while fighting him.

Harry decided to start strong and break her stupid posture. He'd make an example out of her, so Tracey would understand why standing in one place was foolish. "Reducto! Reducto! Reducto! Reducto! Reducto!"

He had expected her to use the ephemeral shield spell that Tracey heavily relied on. What he hadn't predicted was her hands blurring around to bat away each of his stunners in precise fashion.

Shock was at the forefront of his mind. Because her speed was inhumane. She was just as fast as him, if not more. And the awed gasps around him revealed that he wasn't the only one surprised by her skill.

The blonde whispered under her breath and sent a spell careening towards him, taking advantage of his reaction.

Harry spun away and returned fire. "Fulmen!"

The crackling lightning rumbled towards her. But in a surprising calm move, she plucked it with the tip of her wand and twirled on her heels, twisting it around before sending it back in his direction.

"Fuc—" He leapt to his side, barely avoiding getting electrocuted by his own spell.

The cackling bolt exploded against the barrier, drawing horrified exclamations. He barely heard Professor Black silencing everyone as he jumped to his feet. Looking at Daphne, he found an amused smirk plastered over her face. The mask was finally gone. There were no polite smiles any more; only malice shone from her expression.

His lips twitched; he was far from angry. He was truly exhilarated to fight someone of her calibre. It seemed Tracey hadn't been lying when she bragged about the blonde's duelling prowess. Someone who could snatch crashing lightning from air was sure to be a great fighter.

He was going to enjoy breaking her confidence.

"Aqua Eructo!" He screamed, and a jet of water blasted at her. 'Now you have to move!'

A sense of deja vu consumed him when she thrust her wand forward like a sword. The rushing jet of water parted into two and slammed against the transparent ward behind her. With another wave, the water vanished.

They stood again in silence, staring at one another.

She was still standing in her position, not having moved an inch during this brief exchange of spells.

This time, Daphne made the first move. A whispered incantation later, three fluffy white bunnies began bouncing towards him. It was a peculiar and cute sight, for sure, but Harry was not a fool. He guessed what their purpose was. Either they were exploding bunnies or just a distraction, maybe both. So, with a sweeping wave, he destroyed the three bunnies. And his guess was proven correct when three explosions resounded through the enclosed duelling ring.

Deciding he had played enough, he turned serious. It was time to win.

~xXxXx~

"What is he doing?" Hannah asked with knitted eyebrows, looking down at the duel. Harry had resorted to simple stunners. But that was not all. He was running left to right and right to left after each shot of stunners.

Neville leaned on the railing and smiled. "He is trying to fire from different directions in hopes she will miss batting away one of his spells. It is a direct challenge to see who is quicker and stronger. Will Harry get tired first, or will Greengrass get sluggish and less accurate with her deflecting skill?"

"Harry looks stupid expending his energy." Susan observed.

"True. Daphne is like a lighthouse in a storm, standing firm and unbroken, while Harry is the waves lapping against that tower from one direction. He is wasting so much stamina while she is conserving most of it with curt and precise movements," said Hermione.

Neville shook his head. "Maybe it is true. But Harry has enough stamina to keep this up for a while. I am sure he has some sort of plan too."

"They are both equal in terms of speed and power, aren't they?" Tracey asked, biting her bottom lip, not knowing who to support. One was her best friend, while the other was her sister. She didn't want any of them to lose, but there was going to be only one winner.

"Daphne is a tad faster, I'd say." Susan frowned.

…

"Did he just trip and fall?" Hannah asked, aghast.

~xXxXx~

Harry lay prone, panting, as Daphne shoved her wand up towards the ceiling and moved it in a circular motion, preparing her 'grand' spell to finish him off.

He hid a grin.

It should've been obvious from the start, but it was during the duel that he realised how similar he was to Daphne. They were both prideful and arrogant idiots, assured of their skills and having a flair for drama when their opponent was cornered and victory was in their grasp.

Wanting the duel to end sooner than later, he opted to play this trick, where he would run around and 'lose' his energy. Was there a straightforward way to beat her? Of course, he could reveal his non-verbal ability and cut some seconds while spellcasting. He could even resort to wandless magic to surprise her. And let's not talk about Magiscape. There were indeed many other ways to win, but that would mean revealing them. A small duelling tournament wasn't a good enough place to show his cards. He was sure Daphne felt the same and was hiding the true extent of her knowledge.

"Fulmen Maxima!" She yelled for the first time instead of whispering her spell, smelling his weakness, smelling her victory.

He nimbly jumped away from the lightning strike at the last moment, shocking everyone with his sudden burst of stamina. With a mighty wave, he roared out a powerful spell, "Ventus Tria!"

A gale of spiralling wind slammed into Daphne, who was a second too late in reacting, picking her up and sending her hurtling towards the transparent ward. She crashed and dropped to the floor with a thud.

He winced at her painful groans. 'Oops, too much power.'

Professor Black nodded and snapped her fingers. "The duel is concluded. Mister Evans advances to the next round, and Miss Greengrass is out of the tournament."

Daphne struggled to get up, suffering silently.

Glancing at the pale face of Tracey, he sighed and hurried towards the downed blonde. He grabbed her hand and pulled her to her feet, allowing her to lean on him.

If glares could kill, he'd be a dead man. But still, instead of letting her fall on her arse like he so wanted to, he coiled his arm around her thin waist and led her to Professor Black, who shoved a potion down her throat, curing her instantly.

Wrenching herself from his arms, she walked away, but not before sending him one more poisonous glare. He rolled his eyes, as if he wanted to help her in the first place. If not for Tracey, he'd have laughed and gloated over her. He'd have loved to humiliate her for losing.

"The second match will be conducted next Thursday. Please leave the room now."

The balconies were empty in minutes as the crowd trickled out. Harry received many compliments and pats on the back for beating the snake. Though the most memorable one was Tracey's tight hug and a kiss on his cheek. He didn't have to ask why she was being so affectionate. He knew she was just glad that he tried to be civil to her sister.

~xXxXx~

It was the week of Christmas, when most people were preparing to go back home. Tracey was one of them this time and was no less eager to return to Greengrass Manor and reunite with her mum. But there was one thing she had to do before boarding the train tomorrow.

She had to convey her feelings to Harry.

'It has come down to this.' She internally whined. Weren't boys meant to make the first move? But either Harry was dense or… no, she couldn't think like that. He had never picked up on her signals because he was just the stereotypical clueless boy, nothing else.

He liked her just as much as she liked him. She was ninety-nine percent sure of that. And it was time to finally take their relationship to the next level. From what she had seen and heard, other girls were already showing interest. And that wouldn't do. She was not going to lose to someone else. He was her best friend. It was only right that she became his girlfriend and not some stranger.

Tying her golden-brown hair in a neat ponytail, she picked up the perfume bottle and applied it to herself.

Vanilla. It was his favourite scent, and hers too. Taking the red muffler from the bed, she wrapped it around her neck. The weight and the warmth were a welcome addition in this frigid winter. Snow should start falling any day now with this temperature.

After giving a cursory look at her reflection, she left the room a bit later than usual. Walking downstairs to the common room, she ignored the few disgusted looks sent her way. She was practically immune to them at this point. And none were brave enough to actually do something since she was under Harry's protection. Then there was the rule made by the Closed Council too, which barred any Slytherin from interacting with them, which ironically worked in their favour.

She didn't find Harry in the common room.

'He must be already in the Great Hall.' She thought, which was a rare but not impossible occurrence. Curling her gloved fingers inside her cuffs, she marched out with a pounding heart and a hopeful smile.

"Good morning," she greeted her friends at the Hufflepuff table. Julian, Neville, and Hermione were there too. "Where's Harry?"

Hannah shrugged. "Dunno, I cannot find Susan either."

Stifling a frown, she sat down beside her. "That's strange."

"Can't say for Harry, but Susan disappearing for a couple of hours has become usual." Hannah pouted, pulling on her yellow jacket's sleeve and adjusting the fit.

"Want help?" Julian piped up with a smug smile, looking up from the screen of his console.

Tracey humoured him, glad that he had come out of his shell and was comfortable talking with everyone. "How will you help?"

"You don't know? Julie is a seer." The blonde interrupted, giggling at his cute, angry face.

"I know why I like Tracey more." He harrumphed, producing a piece of parchment from his pocket, ignoring Hannah's plea for forgiveness. Touching the parchment with his wand, he whispered, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

Under their astonished gazes, ink spread on the blank yellow parchment, forming shapes and names.

"I recently took it from the Weasley twins after I realised it was dad's. This is a map. But it is not just that, it also shows everyone present at Hogwarts." Julian explained proudly. "Here. Use it to find Harry. It might take a few minutes though, Hogwarts is vast, and there are hundreds of names."

"Thank you, Julian." She said gratefully and began searching for Harry's name.

"I'll look for Susan then." Hannah quickly mumbled, going at the task with a grin.

…

Tracey's heart sank when she found his name. She rubbed her eyes and stared at the map again, but Hannah's sharp intake of breath confirmed that she wasn't seeing things. This nightmare was reality.

Folding the map, she got up. "I'm borrowing the map for a while."

"Sure," Julian said, too busy playing on the Game Boy to notice her sombre tone. Hermione and Neville did notice, but before they could ask what the matter was, she stormed away with Hannah fast on her heels.

"This might not be that. Maybe it is someth—"

"Stop. Don't talk," Tracey whispered, barely holding in her tears.

Hannah clammed up, and they turned left, through the hallway leading towards the Hufflepuff house. But instead of going there, they stopped beside the series of broom closets lining one wall. Using the map again, she stomped towards one particular closet and yanked it open.

"Wha—"

There they were, the 'siblings'. Their clothes were unbuttoned and rumpled, and they were pressed together. Tracey's eyes widened when she realised they were actually having sex and weren't just making out. Susan's back was flushed against one side, with Harry trapped between her legs, his fingers pushing into her large breasts.

Tracey didn't just cry; she let out a hollow laugh too. Without another word, she ran away, not wanting to see him anymore.

~xXxXx~

"Fuck!" Harry sighed and pulled away from Susan, ignoring the whisper that told him to continue fucking her anyway.

"I am disappointed, Susan." Hannah whispered with a shake of her head.

After buttoning his shirt and pulling up his jeans, he stumbled out of the closet. Why was he feeling guilty? Tracey wasn't his girlfriend! He hadn't done anything wrong. But no words could justify the image of his teary-eyed friend.

He felt like an arsehole.

"Why? Are you my mum? I can fuck whoever I want." He heard Susan's grouchy voice as she stepped out too.

"But we always knew Harry and Tracey liked each other! How can you do that to them?" It was the first time he had seen Hannah so angry. He just hoped they wouldn't get physical.

Not knowing where Tracey had gone, he decided to clean up this mess first. He turned around to see the two glaring at each other.

"It's not like I forced him. We both wanted it." The ginger yelled back.

"Can you two not yell?" He rubbed his face, looking around nervously. Thankfully, this hallway was empty. For now.

Hannah's eyes bulged in rage, and she tried to kick him in the nuts.

"Have you gone mad?" He hissed, dodging her kick and covering his crotch.

"I am mad? I am not the one fucking my sister! And I'll curse you if you say you're not siblings. You've been siblings for more than four years."

He cleverly decided to shut his mouth and let the two girls sort it out.

In the end, Hannah promised to keep this a secret before stomping away.

"I don't want to see your faces for at least a day." That was what she had said.

Susan was hurt by her best friend's words but just scowled in response, too angry to feel remorse.

And no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't find Tracey. She didn't appear for lunch or dinner. Even when he went to her room, she refused to open the door. And thus, Christmas was ruined for many. Tracey would leave the castle without talking with Harry the next day, giving her space and time away from him.