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SIYE Time:22:41 on 28th March 2024
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The Time of Destiny
By Abraxan

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Category: Post-OotP, Buried Gems
Characters:All
Genres: Action/Adventure, Fluff, General
Warnings: Death, Sexual Situations, Violence
Story is Complete
Rating: R
Reviews: 503
Summary: Sequel to "The Refiner's Fire." Harry Potter returns to Privet Drive for the last time, prior to his Seventh Year at Hogwarts. Much to the Dursley's surprise, Remus is going to stay with him due to a head injury Harry received on the train. The Dursleys are not happy with this situation, as you can well-imagine. This fic covers both the summer before Harry's seventh year, and his entire last year at school. Canon-based with some OC. Ships, for those who care: H/G, R/H, R/T
Hitcount: Story Total: 508204; Chapter Total: 16340
Awards: View Trophy Room






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DISCLAIMER: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Author notes: Many thanks to Asad Asif, Frederich Kneisel, Iris the Lab Elf, Dave Mackey, the “other” Dave (Dash1), Kat (Phoenixthemenace), Scott Turnbull (Old_Crow), Robert Driskill and Vern of my Yahoo group for their suggestions of tasks for the D.A. to deal with during the Tournament. I didn’t use all of their suggestions, but everything they came up with helped me get new ideas for this very complex Tournament (WAY more tasks than the Tri-Wizard Tournament!). Thanks, guys! Many thanks as well to my brilliant Brit-picker, Kelpie, and my fabulous beta team, Blakevich, Starfox, Iris and Asad!

You can join the Yahoo! Group for this fic at:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPR efinersFire



Chapter 24 — The D.A. Tournament



“What do you want to do for Easter break?” Ron said to Hermione and Harry as they studied together one afternoon in early March. Harry had decided to take the N.E.W.T.s for the three classes he was still attending, so he was studying with his friends. Easter was early this year, coming toward the end of March.

“What do you mean?” Hermione said, her eyes glued to the book she was studying.

“I mean, are you going home? Or do you want to go to the Burrow with us?” he replied. “You and Harry are welcome to come if you want.”

Hermione looked up, her eyebrows knit together in an anxious expression. “Leave school? We have N.E.W.T.s to revise for! How can you think of going home for a week?”

Ron shrugged. “I just thought —”

“How could we possibly take time off so close to exams?” she cried. “We have so much to do!”

“I thought it would be fun,” he said, with a disappointed sigh.

“Fun? With seven years worth of revising to do? What were you thinking?” she said, her voice shrill with exasperation. She turned to Harry. “Surely you aren’t going with him?”

“We haven’t talked about it,” Ron admitted before Harry could reply. “I wanted to ask you first.”

Hermione’s heart softened when she saw how disappointed he looked. “I’m sorry. Thank you for the invitation. I’d really love to go home for the Easter break. My parents are going to remodel a room to be a study for me while I go to college. We need to get started on that, but it will just have to wait for summer. There’s just too much to revise to take time off now. You do understand, don’t you?” Ron nodded, his expression glum.

“I have an idea,” Harry said after several minutes of silent study.

“What?” Ron said, eager to hear any suggestion that would lighten the workload Hermione was setting them.

“Why don’t we stay at Hogwarts and revise, but take two hours off per day to play, sleep, hang out — just relax,” Harry suggested. “I can flash us to Grimmauld Place for those two hours if you want a change of scene.”

“Wicked!” Ron said, then turned to Hermione. “Please agree, ’Mione!”

“Two hours is a lot of time,” she began.

“And that doesn’t count meals,” Harry amended. “Two hours of recreation, naps, relaxing, playing, whatever we want.”

“Yeah!” Ron agreed. “C’mon, ’Mione! It will refresh our minds to have a break like that every day!”

“Oh, all right,” she said after keeping them on pins and needles while she thought about the idea. “Two hours, no more.”

“Yay!” both boys cheered.

“What’s up?” Ginny asked, coming over from the table where she’d been studying with her fellow Sixth Years.

Harry filled her in. “That sounds brilliant!” Ginny enthused. “Two hours a day at Grimmauld Place will be fun! We certainly can’t visit Hogsmeade then with Malfoy and his gang on the loose.” Harry had decided it was best if Ginny knew the boys who had attacked her had escaped from jail. She’d stayed very close to the castle ever since, and was ready for a break in the routine.

“What about the Order?” Hermione said. “They’re meeting there all the time now, aren’t they?”

“I’ll take care of it,” Harry said. “It is my house. I’ll set some limits.”

“How are you going to do that?” Hermione wondered.

“Dobby and I will come up with something,” he assured her.


* * * * *


Two days later, Hedwig landed in front of Harry at breakfast and offered her leg so he could untie his letter. He fed her bits of bacon before opening the letter.

“Who’s it from?” Ron asked.

“Dobby,” Harry replied, his eyes narrowing as he read.

“What’s wrong?” Ginny said, noticing his expression.

“Mundungus is messing about in the bedrooms,” Harry replied. “He’s been playing with the Quidditch rug and just poking around where he doesn’t belong.”

“What are you going to do about it?” Hermione asked, recognizing the determined look in his face.

“Set the limits I told you about. I wrote Dobby and asked him how things were going, and if anyone was going where they shouldn’t in the house. That’s why he wrote. Dung is taking people up to our room and gambling on the games. That’s bloody stupid, since you can control the players.” He shook his head in disgust.

“Maybe he doesn’t tell the other people the players can be controlled,” Ginny suggested.

“Maybe,” Harry replied. He glanced up at the head table. “I need to talk to Dumbledore. See you later.” He squeezed Ginny’s shoulder as he got up and walked up to the front of the Great Hall.

“Good morning, Harry,” Dumbledore said, smiling at his protégé. “How are you?”

“A bit irritated,” the young man replied. “May I have a word when you’ve finished eating?”

“Certainly,” Dumbledore replied. “I’m actually finished now. I was merely drawing pictures in my leftover marmalade with my fork.” His eyes twinkled and he grinned mischievously as he tilted his plate so Harry could see his creation. He’d drawn little stick figures on brooms which appeared to be playing Quidditch.

Harry chuckled, amused as usual by his headmaster’s whimsical personality. “Well done, sir. Who’s winning?”

“I really shouldn’t take sides, but I’d say Gryffindor has this one sewn up,” he said with a smile, indicating one stick figure with messy hair and glasses and a small winged ball in his fist. He waved his hand idly over the plate and the little figure began to move, pumping his Snitch-filled fist in the air, making Harry laugh aloud.

“Looks like a win to me,” Harry agreed.

Soon the two of them were walking toward Dumbledore’s office, deep in quiet conversation.

“Dobby says Dung’s messing about in my room, sir, and poking around other places in the house where he doesn’t belong,” Harry said. “I’d like to go home for a little while and see what’s going on, then set some wards in place to prevent such things from happening. I don’t mind the Order using the rooms on the first floor, or the kitchen, but I would like the other rooms left alone so it can be a real home when I’m there. I’d like to think my things aren’t being bothered. And Dung doing this stuff is upsetting the house-elves. That’s not fair to them.”

“Oh dear. I do understand,” Dumbledore replied, his brow furrowed in concern. “That is your home, after all. You have every right to be upset about your privacy being violated. I’ll have a talk with Mundungus.”

“It’s my house, sir. I can take care of the problem if you’ll allow me to leave school for a little while. I’ll just flash there, observe what’s going on and then set the proper wards in place if it seems to be necessary. It’s possible Dobby’s overreacting. He is very protective, after all.”

“Yes, he is. Normally, I wouldn’t give such permission, but we don’t do normal things with your schooling anyway. Go ahead and flash there today if you’d like. Try to be back by lunch. We still have some preparations to make for the D.A. Tournament. We also need to work on perfecting those spells you just learned.”

“Thanks! I’ll be back by lunch,” Harry said, turning to go back to Gryffindor Tower. “See you later.”


* * * * *


A short time later, Harry flashed into one of the rooms Dobby hadn’t remodelled yet in Number 12, Grimmauld Place. Nobody bothered to go in there since it was still shabby, although Harry’s hard-working house-elves did keep it clean.

Harry pulled his Invisibility Cloak out of his pocket and draped it over himself. Cracking the door open carefully, he listened for movement on the stairs or in the hall. Nothing. He crept out and closed the door carefully behind him, then descended the stairs as quietly as he could. He hadn’t gone far before he heard voices cheering on the players on his Quidditch rug. Dung, Ted Tonks and a couple of new Order members Harry had seen a few times but didn’t know well were all bent over the rug, cheering and groaning as the game progressed. Harry watched as they added to existing bets or argued over previous ones. His room was a mess, with bits of food scattered on every horizontal surface, old drink bottles and glasses sitting everywhere. Dobby stood in the corner wringing his hands. Occasionally, he’d start to clean up, but the men would yell at him, saying they weren’t through with whatever it was he was trying to take away.

Harry had seen enough. He left the room, took off his Cloak and stowed it in his pocket, then stormed back into his room.

“What the bloody hell do you think you’re doing?” he demanded.

Some of the men had the good grace to look a bit guilty, but Dung just smiled. “This rug is brilliant, Harry,” he said happily. “Look — I’ve been lucky with my wagering today!”

“Did you lot know you can control the players?” Harry asked the others.

“What?” “No!” “Dung, you piece of filth!” “What are you playing at, Dung?” they cried.

“That’s not the worst problem you have,” Harry said in a dangerously quiet voice. The raucous voices stilled as all the men turned to stare at the angry young man. “This is my home. You’re in my room. I didn’t invite you here. I am putting wards on the house so you won’t be able to violate my privacy again. The basement and all of the rooms above the first floor but the loo will be off-limits to everyone but my family and friends. You lot are not in that number. Clean up this mess, get out of my house and don’t come back unless you need to be here on Order business.”

“We were just having a little fun,” Dung protested.

“Not here, you’re not,” Harry retorted.

“Dobby, come clean this up,” one of the men said as he started picking things up and spilled a drink on the floor.

“Stay there, Dobby,” Harry ordered, his eyes flashing with angry fire as he turned back to the man. “Dobby is not your servant. And when I’m not here, Dobby’s in charge of the house. I’m certain he told you that you weren’t supposed to be in here.” Dobby nodded so fast, his ears flapped. “That’s what I thought. You lot clean up this mess and make sure the room is perfect before you leave it. And hurry up, I have better things to do than stand here supervising you!”

Finally, amid much grumbling, the room was cleaned and the men were escorted downstairs by Harry and Dobby. “Don’t come back unless you are here on Order business,” Harry warned. “I will set wards on the house that will let me know if you’re here when you aren’t supposed to be, or if you go where you don’t belong in the house.”

“We’re sorry,” Ted Tonks said. “Dung said it was OK.”

“I understand,” Harry said. He liked Tonks’ father and was sorry he’d been caught in Dung’s scheme. “Just take anything Dung tells you with a huge grain of salt, all right?”

“Right you are,” Ted assured him.

Harry stared at Dung’s robes as the man slunk out of the door. “Hold on,” Harry said suddenly.

“What?” Dung said with as good an impression of innocence as he could muster.

“Empty your pockets,” Harry ordered, wand at the ready.

“Why? I haven’t done anything wrong!” Dung protested.

“Empty. Your. Pockets,” Harry repeated, pointing his wand at the man’s heart.

Dung started pulling things out of his pockets. Soon there was a pile of silver flatware with the Black family crest on each piece lying on the small table in the foyer, as well as some old jewellery and a few small books Harry recognized from the house’s library.

“You’ve done nothing wrong?” Harry said, scowling at the man.

“Not much,” Dung dithered, twisting his fingers together.

“If you steal anything else from me, Azkaban will be the least of your worries,” Harry warned him in a low, dangerous voice.

Dung stared at the boy in front of him, suddenly realizing the very serious peril he was in. “I’m, um, I’m sorry, Harry. I won’t do it again.” He reached inside his robes and pulled out a few more things from a hidden pocket.

“And you’ll go and find whatever else you’ve stolen and return it to me, won’t you?” Harry said. When Dung didn’t respond, he poked the man with his wand. “Or do you want me to hex you?”

“No, no, I don’t want that! I’ll get it back, don’t worry. I’ll. . .I’ll find a way,” he said.

“If you hadn’t been a friend of Sirius’s,” Harry informed him, “I wouldn’t give you another chance. This is your last chance, Dung. Don’t mess up again.”

“Yes, I mean, no, I mean, I won’t,” the man stammered.

“Get out of here,” Harry growled. Dung turned and ran down the stairs, Disapparating as soon as he got to the street.

The two house-elves and Harry were all relieved to finally have the house to themselves.

“Dobby, I’m going to set wards on the rooms, just as I told them I would. I want the rooms upstairs and the basement to be off-limits to everyone but my family and friends. That means Remus and Tonks and the Weasleys and Hermione. Oh, Professor Dumbledore, as well, and you two, of course. Nobody else can go in them without permission from one of us, or from you or Winky.”

Dobby nodded and Winky smiled. “We is so glad you came home,” Dobby said happily. “Dobby and Winky knew Harry Potter sir would not want those men messing about in his room, but we is supposed to treat them as guests of our master, so we couldn’t tell them to leave.”

“OK. I’m ordering you to not treat Dung as a guest. How’s that?” Harry said with a smile. “If he’s here on Order business and part of a meeting, you can provide him with food and drink if you’re doing so for everyone else, but Dung gets nothing special. And he’s not allowed here at all unless he’s here on business. Will that work?”

“Oh, yes, Harry Potter, sir!” Dobby said, obviously pleased.

“Thank you, Harry Potter, sir,” Winky said. “Now we can protect your property as proper house-elves should.”

“Is there anything else you need from me?” Harry said, glancing at his watch.

“No, Harry Potter, sir,” Dobby replied. “Everything else is fine.”

“Great. I’ll set those wards, then, and get back to school,” he replied.

It only took a short time to set spells in place that would block access to the rooms Harry wanted to keep private. Harry decided he should test the wards, since the spells were his own inventions.

He looked at his house-elves, who were watching him with great interest. “I’m going to change how I look and put another spell on myself that masks my identity, so I will seem to be someone else. I’m doing this to test the wards I’ve put up. They should let Harry Potter in, but they should repel ‘James Evans,’” Harry explained. “Just watch while I’m doing this. I want to see how the wards work.”

“OK,” the elves said quietly. First, Harry walked through the wards as himself, repeating the action several times. “So far, so good. Why don’t you two try coming in? It shouldn’t feel much different than it did before the wards were put up. You’ll feel a slight clinging sensation when you pass through the door, that’s all. Let me know if you feel anything else.”

“Yes, Harry Potter sir,” the elves said together.

Dobby touched Winky’s arm and gave her a look that told her to stay put until he called for her. He lifted his eyes trustingly to his master, keeping them locked with Harry’s as he strode through the door with determination. When he made it safely through, he smiled with relief, then turned and gestured to his wife, who soon joined them in Harry’s room.

“What did it feel like to you?” Harry asked them.

“As if cobwebs were catching at Winky’s skin, but only a little bit,” Winky said immediately, staring at the doorway. “Winky wanted to wipe them off, but there’s nothing there.”

“It’s a spell, Winky,” Harry explained. “You saw me cast it. If I can work out how to cast it without that cobwebby feeling, I’ll change it, but this will do for now, I think. Come back into the hall, and I’ll show you what it will do to people who don’t have permission to enter the room.” The three of them went back into the hall, where the elves watched in amazement as Harry changed into his “James Evans” appearance and put the other spell on himself that would mask his real identity, and then approached his bedroom.

“Harry Potter sir?” Dobby said nervously, staring at the tall, light-haired, freckled man before him.

“It’s me, Dobby. This is a disguise I use sometimes. I use the name ‘James Evans’ when I look like this,” Harry said, grinning at his elves.

Dobby tilted his head to study Harry’s face. “Harry Potter’s eyes is different.”

“That’s part of the disguise. I have hazel eyes now, right?” Harry said, leaning down to let the elves examine him more closely. Both of them nodded. “Great! That’s what I wanted.” He turned to face the doorway. “Now let’s see how these spells work.” He stepped toward the door and grinned when he felt a soft, invisible wall hit him in the face on his first attempt at entering the room. He tried it again, hit the same cushioned wall and heard his own much-magnified voice saying “This is a private area. You do not have permission to enter.” He chuckled and tried to enter again, this time being thrown across the hall and landing in a heap on the floor, his body vibrating from the strong Stinging Hex included in the ward. He saw a ghostly image of his “James Evans” face on the invisible barrier for a moment after he landed on the floor.

“Harry Potter sir!” Dobby cried in fright. “Is you all right?”

“Excellent!” Harry said as he struggled to his feet with the help of both of his elves. “I’m fine, really, don’t worry,” he assured them. “The wards work! Brilliant!” He grinned at his elves. “Now you know what it looks like when someone tries to go where they’re not allowed. Did you see the image that showed on the spell for a minute?” Both elves nodded. “Great. That will be stored in the spell until I retrieve it. It will show me who tried to get in.” Harry changed back to his normal appearance and grinned at his elves. “That should stop Dung and his buddies from messing about in my things.” He glanced at his watch and said, “I’d better get back to school. Thanks for your help. Write me if there are any problems with the wards, or if Dung or anyone else gives you any trouble, OK?”

“Yes, Harry Potter sir,” Dobby said, standing at attention. “Dobby and Winky will guard your home with their lives.”

Harry was touched by their devotion. “Thanks. Take care of yourselves. I’ll see you again soon,” he promised, then waved and changed into a phoenix, flashing back to Hogwarts only an hour after he’d left.


* * * * *


When he returned to school, Harry went to see Dumbledore and explained what he’d done at the house.

“Well done! Thank you for telling me about it,” Dumbledore said, pleased with his student’s foresight in including a spell that recorded the images of those who challenged the wards. “I trust the Order members a great deal, but some of them — well, you know the kind of people we’ve recruited for some of the undercover work.” There were now several Order members of Dung’s ilk, who were much better able to fit in certain unsavoury areas than other Order members were. “I’m sorry you had to go to this trouble, but I think you handled it very well.”

“Thank you,” Harry replied. He’d come up with the idea for the wards himself, and researched and created the spells on his own, since he couldn’t find spells that did exactly what he wanted. Inventing spells this complex was something he would not have been able to do just a few months earlier. He was very excited about his success.


* * * * *


“You invented those spells?” Hermione said hours later when Harry finally had time to explain what he’d done.

“Yeah,” he said, shrugging as if inventing such sensitive spells was no big deal.

“But Harry! The spell recognizes specific people and repels others! It records images of intruders as well as repelling them! That’s amazing!” she said, staring at him in awe.

“I just did a little of this and a little of that until I had it worked out the way I wanted,” he said dismissively, but secretly, he was delighted that the smartest student witch at Hogwarts was so impressed with spells he’d created.

“‘A little of this and a little of that,’” she said, sighing. “And when do you plan to show us how to do this?”

“When I sort out how to explain it, Hermione,” he said patiently. “Honestly, it was a lot of trial and error until I got it right.”

“But you set them in place only a short time after Dobby told you about the intrusion,” she protested. Ron and Ginny nodded in agreement.

“Yeah, how could you work out such complex spells in that short a time, mate?” Ron asked, frowning as he tried to understand.

“I started working on these wards months ago. I decided before Christmas that I wanted to have some rooms that were private. Remember the spell that I told you would yell at people who tried to enter? The one I put the door when Ginny and I were making up?” His friends all nodded. “These were a — I don’t know how to explain it. Erm. They were kind of an ‘outgrowth’ of that spell, I guess you could say.” He shrugged. “I don’t have any better explanation.”

“So how long did it take you to create the spells, then?” Hermione said, her head tilted as she studied his face.

“Months to do everything,” he replied. “The wall itself is a variation on a Cushioning Charm. Then I just started adding things until I thought I had them right. I tested the spells in the practice room in the Chamber until they worked the way I wanted them to.”

“And Dumbledore didn’t help you with them?” Hermione said.

“No, I did these by myself,” Harry affirmed.

“He didn’t teach you how to create such spells?” Hermione pressed.

“No. He’s been teaching me very complex spells, and in learning those, I’ve learned how to think about spells differently. He showed me how to create a simple spell quite a while ago, but these are nothing like that. They kind of ‘grew’ out of all the things I’ve been learning, I guess.”

“Amazing,” Hermione said, shaking her head in wonder.

“Wow,” Ron breathed. “That’s so cool.”

“I want to learn how to do it!” Hermione insisted.

“And as soon as I can explain how to do it, I’ll teach you,” Harry promised.

“OK,” she agreed, smiling happily at him.

“I think it’s brilliant,” Ginny said, grinning at him. “But I think you’re brilliant, too, so I expected nothing less.”

Harry wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close, kissing her temple. “That’s my unprejudiced girl,” he said with a chuckle.


* * * * *


“Before we settle down to work,” Harry suggested the first day of their Easter holiday, “let’s decide when we’ll take our break so we won’t have to think about it, and we’ll have something to look forward to.”

“Two o’clock,” Ginny said promptly.

“Why two o’clock?” Harry asked, amused at her pert expression.

“Why not? It’s a break — let’s take it in the afternoon,” she said reasonably.

“That works for me,” Harry agreed. “OK with you?” he added, looking at his two best friends.

“Yeah!” Ron said happily. He immediately set the alarm on his watch for 2:00 PM. “Now we won’t be late,” he added, grinning. “Wait. Maybe I should set it fifteen minutes early so we can get ready for our break!”

Hermione scowled at him. “Two hours, Ron. That’s all. How long do you need to ‘prepare’ to mess around for two hours?”

“You never know,” he said, teasing her. “C’mon, Hermione,” he cajoled her, “it’ll be fun.”

She smiled. He was so cute when he wheedled her. “Yes, I’m sure it will be.”


* * * * *


At one forty-five, Ron’s watch alarm went off and he promptly slammed his book shut. “Break time!” he said happily. “What shall we do?”

“Dobby and Winky are making snacks for us,” Harry said. “I told them we’d be there to relax for a couple of hours today, and maybe every day this week. They’re looking forward to seeing us.”

“Great!” Ron said, rubbing his hands in glee.

Hermione looked at her own watch and gave Ron a reproachful gaze before she carefully marked her place and put her things away. “All right. Let’s go.”

“Yay!” Ginny said gaily.

Soon the four of them were standing in the boys’ bedroom of Harry’s house, being greeted by two delighted house-elves. They’d flashed directly there rather than to the foyer to avoid any Order members who might be in the house.

“We is so glad you came!” Dobby said, offering them a tray of cakes. “Drinks and snacks is on the table by the window, Harry Potter sir.”

“Great, Dobby!” Harry said. “Thanks.”

The four friends were soon sitting around the Quidditch rug, cheering on various players while enjoying the snacks the house-elves had provided.

“This is a great study break,” Ron said, stretching out on the floor when the game was over.

“Yeah,” Hermione said, leaning over him and smiling. “We have an hour left. What would you like to do?”

“I thought you’d never ask,” he said, leaping to his feet, grabbing her hand and leading her to the room across the hall.

Harry and Ginny stared after them, chuckling when they heard Ron and Hermione both putting spells on the door.

“I guess Hermione decided she may as well enjoy her study break,” Ginny said with a giggle.

“Sounds like a good idea to me,” Harry said, wiggling his eyebrows and leering at her suggestively. Ginny laughed and aimed her wand at the door, closing it quietly as Harry set other protective spells in place.


* * * * *


“And to think we can do this every day this week,” Ginny sighed as she snuggled with Harry later. “What a brilliant idea.”

“Thanks. I try to have a brilliant idea at least once every year or so,” he teased.

“You can have this one a lot more often and I won’t object a bit,” she murmured.

“As you wish, m’lady,” he replied.


* * * * *


March slipped into April, and the D.A. Tournament was looming in the near future. Ron, Hermione and Ginny had decided not to participate, since they received so much extra training from Harry. They threw themselves into helping Harry, Remus and Dumbledore plan and organize the Tournament. They all worked hard to get things arranged so everyone would have a good time and be safe while dealing with suitably challenging tasks.

The Tournament would be held on the second weekend in April. Harry had taken a cue from the Quidditch World Cup and gone through Hogsmeade seeking sponsors for other prizes. There would be a variety of special gifts and awards, donated by the merchants in Hogsmeade, all of whom were happy to give prizes to the Tournament as a way of thanking the D.A. members for their help in protecting the wizarding world.

The first day of the Tournament dawned bright and clear, with light wind and small, puffy clouds. The Tournament was to be held on the Quidditch pitch, which was decorated with banners from the merchants of Hogsmeade advertising everything from Honeydukes Sweets to Madam Puddifoot’s Tea Room.

“Well, this is it,” Harry told the D.A. members who planned to compete as they gathered in the Gryffindor Changing Room, which had been set up as their waiting area. Some of the younger or less experienced students had chosen to watch the Tournament rather than participate but they still had nearly a hundred participants for the first tasks. “You lot know what you’re doing. Believe in yourselves. You can do each of these tasks, I promise you. There’s nothing here that’s beyond your skills. You just have to choose the best way to deal with the challenge that’s presented to you. Hermione is handing out your running order. Listen for the whistles. When you’re next in line and you hear the whistle, it’s your turn. Remember that your time starts when you cross the first purple line, and ends after you cross the purple line after the last task. Good luck! And have fun!” He led them in a cheer, then left to do his duty as a judge.

Harry jogged up to the judges’ stand and took his place beside Remus, Tonks, Mad-Eye and Dumbledore. Ron was the announcer, since Dean wanted to participate in the Tournament himself.

Ron looked up at the stands, seeing hundreds of students as well as many parents who had come to watch their children compete. Arthur, Molly, Bill, Charlie and the twins had come to support Ron and Ginny despite the fact that they weren’t competing. Charlie was living in Wales now, having taken a job at the dragon preserve there so he’d be closer when the Order of the Phoenix needed him. Hermione’s parents were sitting with the Weasleys, looking rather awestruck at all the magic going on around them.

Ron grinned at his parents and cleared his throat nervously before pointing his wand at his throat and saying, “Sonorus.” His rich, deep voice now boomed over the Quidditch pitch.

“Good morning, everyone! Welcome to the first-ever D.A. Tournament!” Cheers met his announcement. “Thank you for coming! We’d like to especially thank the families of the competitors who have come to watch. Welcome! We hope you enjoy the Tournament!”

He waited for the applause to die down, then continued. “ D.A. is a Defence Against the Dark Arts club that began two years ago when we had a Defence teacher who wouldn’t allow us to use our wands in class at all. We met in secret and worked on the spells we should know for our O.W.L. exams, with the result that all the Fifth Years who were in D.A. earned an O.W.L. in Defence! And that’s all down to Harry Potter, who taught us the spells he knew and others we’d need for that exam. Last term, D.A. became a real army, and participated in the Battle of Little Hangleton. This term, we have grown tremendously in number. We hope the D.A. never has to fight again, but if we must, we’re ready. The skills that will be tested in this Tournament can be used against real enemies. But today is about having fun! Some interesting challenges have been set to test the skills of the competitors. We hope you’ll enjoy watching them work their way through these challenges.”

Ron stopped and took a sip of water, then went on with his announcements. “I’d like to thank our sponsors, who have provided gifts, supplies and prizes for our competitors. If you’d like to thank our sponsors yourselves, please go to Hogsmeade and visit their shops! We’d like to thank Honeydukes Sweetshop for donating gift certificates for sweets of their choice for the top three competitors! They’ve also provided a box of Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans and three Chocolate Frogs to each participant in all the levels of competition to help them keep their energy up.” A cheer went up for Honeydukes.

He went on. “We’d like to thank Weasleys’ Wizarding Wheezes and Zonko’s Joke Shop for getting into a competition themselves to see who could donate the coolest stuff!” This comment raised a good laugh in the stands. “The top ten competitors will receive gift certificates to each shop!” The crowd whooped their approval. “Weasleys’ Wizarding Wheezes is also supplying the fireworks that will be set off to celebrate the end of the Tournament when we name our Champion tomorrow evening.” This announcement met with excited approval.

“Dervish and Banges has donated a choice of three Dark Detectors to the Champion of the Tournament. The second and third place winners will receive the Dark Detectors not chosen by the Champion. Thank you, Dervish and Banges!” More cheers.

“We’d like to thank Gladrags Wizardwear for donating the numbered robes our competitors are wearing today!” The D.A. competitors were wearing black robes with bright, glittering purple numbers on their backs and the Hogwarts crest on the left side of the front. “Joyero’s Jewellery Shop donated the timers worn by each competitor. Thank you, Joyero Jewellery Shop!” Each announcement met with renewed cheers.

“Many thanks to Madam Puddifoot’s for donating a free tea for two, to be awarded to the person who shows the best sportsmanship today. This prize will be repeated for the other two phases of the Tournament. Thank you, Scrivenshaft’s Quill Shop, for donating a very elegant desk set consisting of a pheasant-feather quill and an embossed bronze ink pot, to be awarded to the person who finishes each set of tasks in the fastest time. Thanks to The Three Broomsticks for donating butterbeer for a party in the House of the Champion! And thanks to The Hog’s Head, for donating funds toward the trophy that will be awarded to the winner and the plaque that will be kept in Hogwarts’ Trophy Room. Raise your wands and salute the merchants of Hogsmeade!” Ron led the crowd in a rousing cheer.

“I’d like to introduce our judges. On my right is Professor Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts. Next to him is Harry Potter, Tri-Wizard Tournament Champion, trainer of Dumbledore’s Army, Captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team and a Seventh Year Gryffindor. Harry’s the one who researches and learns new spells first and then teaches them to the rest of us. Next to Harry is Professor Remus Lupin, Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher here at Hogwarts and our D.A. advisor. He and Professor Dumbledore help Harry with new spells when he needs it. Professor Lupin also helps out in D.A. meetings when we need him. Next to him is his wife, Auror Tonks Lupin. And last but certainly not least, retired Auror Alastor Moody. The judges will give points out of ten for each task completed by each competitor. On the field, we have Professors McGonagall, Flitwick, Snape, Sprout, Sinistra and Hagrid. They are there to ensure the safety of the competitors and that each task is reset properly before the next competitor attempts it.

“Today’s competition will narrow the field down from the ninety-five who are competing to the ten who will move on to the next level of competition. Tomorrow morning’s competition will narrow the field to three, and the final competition tomorrow afternoon will determine the Champion.

“These events are timed. If you look closely at the competitors’ robes, you may be able to see the small watches attached to the front. These watches are timers for the tasks. Time begins when the competitor crossed the first purple line, and the time is noted for each task, as well as the overall time taken to do all the tasks. Time ends when the competitor crosses the purple line after the last task. Hermione Granger, that pretty young lady at the far end of the pitch,” he said, returning her wave and grinning at her, “will note the times for each task by each competitor, and those times will be factored in along with the judges’ scores in determining the winner. Each competitor will be given three attempts to complete each task. If he or she cannot complete it in three tries, they must move on to the next task. Each task is well within the abilities of D.A. members. It’s up to them to make the best choice of the spells they know in order to complete each task quickly so they can move on in the best possible time.”

Ron stopped, turned to the judges and raised an eyebrow asking if they were ready to begin. They nodded. He turned to Ginny, who was the starter for the competitors and gave her a nod. The first competitor came on the field.

“Our first competitor is Susan Bones of Hufflepuff. She is a Prefect and has been in D.A. since it began. Good luck, Susan!” Ron said as Susan emerged from the Gryffindor Changing Room area and stepped onto the field, looking nervous but waving bravely to the cheering crowd. “And. . .she’s off!”

Ron couldn’t comment on the actual tasks or he might give clues to other competitors, so he pointed his wand at his throat and said, “Quietus.” He watched Susan intently. She was a good fighter and clever in her use of spells, but she wasn’t as quick as many of the other D.A. members. Since this competition tested speed as well as skill, it would be interesting to see how she did.

The competition was fascinating to watch. There were sufficiently few obstacles that the competitors moved relatively quickly through their challenges, but each person approached the tasks a bit differently. Their varied approaches and their choices of spells made the Tournament quite interesting to the spectators.

After half of the competitors had completed their tasks, Ron said, “Sonorus” again and announced, “We’re going to take a break for lunch now. Those competitors who have not gone yet will stay in the Changing Rooms so they won’t accidentally hear anything about the tasks they have to face. They will have lunch there. For everyone else, lunch is being served in the Great Hall. Family members are welcome to join their children in the Great Hall for lunch. Those whose children are still waiting to compete are also invited to the Great Hall. We will reconvene out here at 1:30 PM. Thank you for your attention.” He pointed his wand at his throat again and said, “Quietus.”


* * * * *


“Ron, you’re a natural,” Harry commented as he finished tallying up his scores for the morning’s competitors. “Well done, mate! You weren’t far wrong when you said you could be a TV announcer!” He grinned and playfully poked his friend in the shoulder when Ron, his ears quite pink from the compliment, sat down across the table from him. The judges and officials were remaining in the judging stand for their lunch so no one could speak to and possibly influence them. Moody had insisted on this, and the others had agreed. Soon lunch appeared on the table in front of the judges. Ron, Hermione and Ginny joined the judges for lunch.

“How do you think it’s going so far?” Hermione asked excitedly. “I mean, we’ve got them moving through at a good rate, and nobody’s been completely stumped — everyone’s managed to get at least a couple of the tasks done.”

“Hermione,” Ron warned, “remember how Harry and I don’t want to talk about tests after we’ve finished?”

“You’re not taking tests here, you’re actually giving them!” she protested.

“It’s the same thing. Well, sort of, anyway. We can’t discuss the Tournament with the judges,” he reminded her.

“Oh,” she said, suddenly realizing that, in trying to talk with Harry as well as Ron and Ginny, she’d overstepped her bounds. “Sorry,” she said, blushing as she looked up at Harry.

“Not a problem,” Harry replied with a grin. “I wasn’t going to answer you anyway — pretty much the same way Ron and I don’t talk about tests with you after we’re finished.” He and Ron exchanged a glance and laughed. Even when they did well on exams, it was just a matter of course for them to frustrate her constant “need to know” by not discussing them. “I will say you and Ginny are doing a wonderful job of getting them on and off the field in good time. That’s great, with so many to judge today.”

“How’s the judging going?” Ron asked.

“Ron! You can’t ask that!” Hermione said repressively.

Harry snorted with laughter. They’d had so many similar conversations over the seven years they’d all been together. He was going to miss this when the three of them weren’t at the same school. “It’s going fine, Ron,” Harry said, knowing that Ron had been asking a completely different question to Hermione. “The system we worked out seems to be a good one. It makes sense to me, anyway.”

“Working well here, too,” Moody growled. “Now stop talking shop and eat! They’ll all be back out here soon.”

Ron leaned across the table toward Harry, rolled his eyes and whispered, “Same old charming Mad-Eye.”

“I heard that, laddie,” Mad-Eye snapped, his magical eye rolling wildly.

“Just kidding,” Ron said placatingly, and began shoving food into his mouth with his usual abandon.

The Weasley family approached the judges’ table. “Since we don’t have children competing, can we come and chat for a bit?” Molly asked with a smile.

“Of course! Do join us! I’ll draw you up some chairs,” Dumbledore said genially as he conjured some comfortable chairs for Arthur, Molly, Bill, Charlie and the twins, as well as the Grangers, who’d followed the Weasleys to the judges’ stand. “Hang on, let me give you some plates and so on.” Soon they were all settled in and enjoying a fine Hogwarts lunch.

“Ron, you’re doing a wonderful job!” his mother said proudly. “Your voice carries so beautifully. And you look so handsome!” She simply couldn’t help herself. She reached over and straightened his robes a bit, tucking in a rumpled bit of cloth, smoothing an errant wrinkle, tidying his hair.

“Mum!” Ron protested, his ears pink again. “Give over!”

“Oh, all right,” she said, backing off. “And Harry, dear, you’re doing an excellent job as a judge!”

“How can you tell?” Harry teased. “We haven’t shown any scores yet!”

“I know you. You’ll be a fair and unbiased judge, and will make the right choices,” she said serenely, reaching over to tidy his hair.

Harry tolerated her attentions much better than Ron did, simply smiling sweetly at her as her hands moved from attempting to smooth his hair to straightening his collar.

“There,” she said with a smile, her “mothering” instincts satisfied for the moment. “Much better.”

“Thanks,” Harry said sincerely. Ginny caught his eye and made a face at him, making him laugh. Molly had moved to the girls by this time, fiddling with Ginny’s hair and complimenting both girls on their performance on the field.

“I’m just starting them, Mum,” Ginny protested, but she smiled, enjoying her mother’s attention.

“This Tournament is quite impressive,” Arthur was telling Dumbledore. “You’ve done a wonderful job! And everyone seems to be having a good time.”

“I think it’s important to find ways to have fun in such troubled times,” Dumbledore said with a smile, “but the Tournament was Ginny’s idea originally, and Harry developed it, then he, Ron, Hermione, Ginny and Remus did most of the work. Hogwarts won’t be the same when those four leave.”

“It’s hard to believe it’s their last year,” Arthur said, looking at the boys. “And Ginny has only one more term left. Where did the time go?” He looked at his daughter, who was busy teasing Harry about something, and suddenly saw the woman she would become. He smiled fondly as he watched her mobile features. Whatever she was telling Harry had him in stitches, which made Ginny’s face glow with satisfaction.

Dumbledore followed Arthur’s gaze. “They’re very good for each other,” he commented quietly. “She’s quite a wonderful young lady, Arthur. You and Molly have done well with your children.”

“Thank you, Albus! That means a lot, coming from you. You probably know them better than anyone else,” Arthur replied. Dumbledore nodded in acknowledgement. “Percy’s the exception. I don’t know what to think about him. He still won’t speak to us, and he’s not doing well in the Ministry these days. Madam Bones is losing patience with his narrow-mindedness.”

“I’m sorry to hear that, Arthur,” Dumbledore said sympathetically. “Still, we learn from all our experiences, both the good and the bad. He will learn something from this experience, something that might bring him back to his family.”

Arthur looked at him seriously. “I certainly hope so,” he said softly. “He’s breaking his mother’s heart.”

“And yours, as well,” Dumbledore said with a knowing look. Arthur sighed and nodded.

The Grangers were sitting quietly, trying hard to not stare at Mad-Eye Moody. Hermione went and sat on the arm of her dad’s chair.

“Having fun?” she asked her parents.

“It’s amazing!” her dad said sincerely. “I mean, we’ve seen some of what you can do, but the things these students are doing. . .amazing!”

Hermione smiled. Her parents had got past their feeling of the previous summer, when they became frightened by the war news and wanted Hermione to act like a Muggle. They were once again in awe of having a witch in the family, but they rarely had a chance to spend much time with other wizards. Magic still astounded them.

“How’s Harry doing?” her mum asked her. “You said he was hurt?”

“Oh, he’s fine, now, Mum,” Hermione said dismissively, not even sure which instance of Harry being hurt they were referring to. “You can see that.” She smiled at her friend who was busy making Ginny and her family giggle over something. Hermione still tried to keep the awful truths of the wizarding world from her parents as much as possible. Now that her parents were aware of the horrors she and her friends faced at times, though, she was a bit more open with them with her news. They seemed to handle it well for the most part. They always asked about Harry, knowing now that he bore the brunt of whatever evil the wizarding world faced.

“I can’t see any scars on his face,” her mum said quietly. “Well, except for that one on his forehead,” she amended.

“He had some extensive treatment to cure them,” Hermione told her mum, “and the one on his forehead is a curse scar. Apparently, it can’t be healed or removed.”

“Oh, that’s too bad. But still, I’m so happy for him! He looks wonderful, especially after being injured so badly.” She turned her eyes to her daughter and smiled. “And you — you look beautiful, and so happy, dear! Have you decided which college you’re going to attend?”

“I’ve been accepted at all the ones I applied to,” Hermione told her, “but I don’t know yet which one I want to attend. I’m still sorting things out, you know,” she added with a shrug.

“I understand. Whatever you decide is fine with us. We’re so proud of you!” her mum said, pushing a lock of Hermione’s bushy hair behind her shoulder. “And you’re still thinking of living with us while you go to college?”

“Yes,” Hermione replied with a smile.

“That will be lovely,” her mother said, sighing contentedly. “You’re away so much, and you’ll soon be grown and will want to move out on your own. I’m glad we’re going to have more time together before then.”

“Me, too,” Hermione said, smiling happily. “I’m so glad you could come today.”

“We are, too. It’s wonderful to see firsthand the things you’ve been working on for so long,” her mum replied.


* * * * *


Ron looked at his watch and got to his feet. “Almost time to start again,” he said, nodding to Ginny and Hermione, who left to man their posts on the field again.

“I suppose we need to return to our seats,” Molly said, rising from her chair. “Thanks for letting us talk to the children, Albus.”

“Thank you all for attending our Tournament,” Dumbledore said with a warm smile as he Vanished the chairs he’d conjured.


* * * * *


Soon, the spectators were all back in place and the competitors moving through the obstacles again.

“Our next competitor,” Ron said, his voice booming across the pitch, “is Neville Longbottom. Neville is a Seventh Year Gryffindor and an original member of D.A., as well as a member of the Healer Squad. Good luck, Neville!”

Ginny patted Neville on the back and wished him luck as she sent him on to the field. Neville took a deep, calming breath as he stepped onto the pitch and looked up at the stands, soon finding his grandparents by looking for his grandmother’s hat with the stuffed vulture on top. He smiled and waved to them before walking determinedly toward the purple line that would start the timer on his robes. He felt a small buzz as the timer began, then ran as fast as he could to the first obstacle, trying to save time. Each obstacle was blocked from the competitors’ views by an Occulto Charm, which concealed whatever was behind it. The spectators could see each obstacle clearly, but the competitors could only see the obstacle in front of them once they’d passed the charm’s barrier. None of the other obstacles could be seen until their barriers had been passed.

Neville passed through the barrier, then gasped as he found himself dangling upside down, his feet toward the sky, his robes hanging down over his face. He panted in fear for a moment, then thought about his situation. The laws of gravity couldn’t be revoked, even by magic. Could they? This had to be an illusion! He crossed his fingers, closed his eyes and jumped, shocked to find himself landing on his feet on the lovely green grass of the pitch. Laughing, he raced on to the second task, cheered on by Professor Flitwick, who was supervising the first task.

The second task loomed before him. Ten Death Eaters were coming for him, their wands all pointed at his heart. Neville reminded himself that Harry had promised nothing in here would actually hurt them, then began aiming Stunning Spells at the Death Eaters, dropping and rolling after firing off each spell in case spells were fired back at him. As each of his spells hit, the Death Eater disappeared. They’re conjured! he thought happily, then fired off more Stunners, eliminating all ten Death Eaters in rapid succession.

Neville didn’t allow himself time to think about what he’d just done. He just raced on to the next obstacle. He found himself facing a solid hedge ten feet high. What to do? He ran to the right trying to get around it, but found the hedge kept getting longer the farther he ran. He stopped and looked up at the hedge. He could levitate himself over it. What would Harry do? Neville thought for a moment. He’d go straight through it! Without hesitation, Neville did a Reductor Curse to blast a hole in the hedge, then ran through it, hesitating on the far side and looking for other obstacles or opponents. Seeing nothing, he ran on, passing through another Occulto barrier and found himself face to face with shadowy figures that became images of Harry, Ron, Dumbledore, Ginny, Hermione, Death Eaters and Voldemort. The figures were moving, weaving around each other sinuously. Neville aimed for the Death Eaters and Voldemort, doing his best to avoid shooting his friends or headmaster. Finally, the only figures left moving were those of his friends and Dumbledore. He’d only winged Ron and Dumbledore. Two bad shots out of all the spells he’d fired wasn’t bad. He raced on and found himself outside the task area and crossing the finish line, where Hermione waited to get his times.

“Neville, you were wonderful!” Hermione said, hugging him when he crossed the finish line.

“You could see?” he panted. He glanced up at the stands and suddenly realized that the great roar of sound reverberating in his ears was people cheering for him! His ears turned pink but he smiled with pleasure, waving at his grandparents and laughing to see them standing up and clapping their hands above their heads for him. His grandfather sent off bright purple sparks from his wand in celebration of Neville’s run. He’d never seen his grandmother look so pleased with him. Neville beamed in response.

“Yes!” Hermione said as she studied his timer. “I’m so proud of you. There, I’ve got your times. Go on and get a drink and some rest. You’ve earned it!” she said, pointing him toward the Hufflepuff Changing room, where refreshments were waiting for those who had completed their tasks.

The rest of the competitors had finished the course by late afternoon. Now all the competitors stood on the pitch waiting to hear who had earned a place in the top ten.

The judges were frantically tabulating their results, and then Hermione and her numerology professor factored in the times for each task. Finally, they were finished, and the results handed to Ron to announce.

“What a day, eh?” Ron said with a grin. He was really getting into this announcing thing. “Let’s give all our competitors a cheer! Well done, all of you!” he said, his Sonorus-enhanced voice nearly lost in the resulting cheer. “I have the results of the judges’ marks here. The times have been factored in as well. I will be reading off the names of the Top Ten competitors in alphabetical order, which doesn’t imply anything about their scores. When you hear your name, step forward, please!” He looked at the list and began reading. “Euan Abercombie, Gryffindor. Susan Bones, Hufflepuff. Mandy Brocklehurst, Ravenclaw. Colin Creevey, Gryffindor. Dennis Creevey, Gryffindor. Neville Longbottom, Gryffindor. Ernie McMillan, Hufflepuff. Alex McCullough, Ravenclaw. Padma Patil, Ravenclaw. Dean Thomas, Gryffindor.” He waited for the ten named students to walk forward and the cheering to die down a bit. “I give you the Top Ten Competitors in the D.A. Tournament! Congratulations, all of you!”

He let the cheering roll on for a few minutes, then said, “Spectators, we hope you will return tomorrow morning at ten A.M. for the second portion of the competition, when these ten competitors will face new tasks. The top three scorers from that competition will go on to the Championship round after lunch! Thank you again for coming, and when you’re in Hogsmeade, please visit our sponsors shops to thank them for their support. See you in the morning!”

The stands rocked with cheers again and the ten winners punched fists in the air, hugged each other or burst into tears, depending on their temperament. Neville stood in stunned silence until Dean grabbed him in a hug and whirled him around.

“We did it, we did it, we did it!” Dean chortled gleefully. “Well done, mate!”

“And you, as well!” Neville said, the truth finally sinking in. “We did, didn’t we?”

“We did, we did, we did!” Dean cried, doing a triumphant dance and whooping with joy.

Harry watched the celebration on the pitch with interest. The Top Ten competitors were sharing hugs and good wishes across House lines. “Professor?” he said, smiling as he turned to Dumbledore. “Look.”

“That’s what you hoped for, isn’t it?” Dumbledore said quietly as he joined Harry at the edge of the judges’ stand.

“Yes. I just want everyone to be friends with each other. House competition is a good thing at times, but it divides us, as well,” Harry said quietly. “Look at them.” He smiled proudly as Neville and Dean hugged Ernie and Susan, Colin and Dennis linked arms with Mandy and Padma in a wild dance of joy, Alex and Euan did a triumphant war dance, and everyone switched partners. Soon little Euan was lifted up on Dennis’s and Colin’s shoulders, laughing as the older boys pranced around with him held securely on their broad shoulders. “That’s the way it should be,” Harry mused as the rest of the D.A. came forward, giving the winners heartfelt congratulations. “I just wish there had been a way to involve the Slytherins too. Maybe then all the Houses would get along better.”

“It was their choice not to join the D.A., Harry,” Dumbledore replied. After a moment, he patted the young man on the back and added, “I can’t tell you how proud I am of you.”

“Me? What for?” Harry said, genuinely surprised.

“You’re the one who broke the House boundaries with the D.A. in the first place,” Dumbledore replied.

“No, it was Hermione,” Harry began.

“She pushed you in the right direction, Harry, but the team spirit and camaraderie they have, the sense of fair play and the support they give each other? That came from you, dear boy. Well done.”

“Erm . . . OK,” Harry said, confused. When he thought about what Dumbledore was saying, he realized what a tremendous compliment he’d been paid. Pleased warmth suffused his body. “Thanks, Professor.”

“That went well!” Ron said to Hermione as she bounded up onto the platform.

“Yes, it was great! But you forgot to announce who had the fastest time and the sportsmanship award! There are prizes to award for those today!” she reminded him, gasping for breath. She’d run all the way across the pitch to remind him of this, having to weave among the celebrants as she ran.

“Oh rats!” Ron did the Sonorus Charm again and announced, “My apologies! I forgot to announce who had the fastest time today. That nice quill set from Scrivenshaft’s Quill Shop has been won by. . .” he shuffled through the parchments, stopping when Hermione put a finger on the name he needed. “Neville Longbottom!”

Neville blushed madly as friends pounded him on the back, congratulating him afresh.

“And the Sportsmanship Award, which is a tea for two at Madam Puddifoot’s, goes to. . .Colin Creevey!” Ron said. Colin had cost himself time by helping up another competitor who stumbled on his way to the finish line. Colin had finished his last tasks so much more quickly than the boy who’d gone before him that he’d overtaken him. They crossed the finish line together, Colin helping the boy, who had sprained his ankle in his hurry.

Ron murmured Quietus and turned to Hermione. “Is that everything?”

“Yes, that’s it,” she said.

“Whew, thanks! I would have hated to leave those off! Look at Neville,” he said, grinning as the shy boy was surrounded by well-wishers. “He’s still in shock!”

“He did an amazing job,” Hermione said. “I didn’t know he had it in him.”

“Nor did I,” Ron said. “Nor did he, from the look of him,” he added with a grin. Neville and the other Top Ten winners were all being carried into the Great Hall on the shoulders of their fellow D.A. members. Neville’s face was still a study in shock, but he was beginning to laugh, enjoying the heady feeling of being a winner for once.

“I hope they don’t get cocky and slack off tomorrow,” Hermione said, watching the passing parade of celebrants.

“Don’t worry about them, Hermione,” Harry said with a grin. “Let them have their fun. They all did really well today. I’m proud of them.”

“You know, Judge Potter, I’m tired and hungry, and dinner’s going to be great fun with everyone in such a good mood!” Ginny said, tugging on his hand. “Let’s go!” They joined the mass of people heading for the Great Hall, where a wonderful dinner and an evening of fun awaited them.


* * * * *


“Welcome to the second day of the D.A. Tournament!” Ron’s amplified voice rang across the Quidditch pitch. “We’d like to welcome the families of those who are participating. Thank you for coming! And thanks again to our sponsors: The Hog’s Head, The Three Broomsticks, Scrivenshaft’s, Joyero Jewellery, Dervish and Banges, Weasleys’ Wizarding Wheezes, Zonko’s Joke Shop, Gladrags, Madam Puddifoot’s and Honeydukes Sweet Shop! Honeydukes has again provided sweets to keep our competitors energy levels up. Scrivenshaft’s and Madam Puddifoot’s have also provided extra prizes for today’s competition. And now, without further ado, our first Top Ten finalist is entering the field!” He looked down at the small figure of Euan Abercombie, suddenly reminded of how small Harry had looked compared to the other Tri-Wizard Champions. “And here’s Euan Abercombie of Gryffindor, who plays Chaser on the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Good luck, Euan!” The boy looked up nervously and waved at Ron, then stepped toward the starting line.

The first obstacle appeared beyond the Occulto Charm barrier. Suddenly, Euan was facing two Dementors. He shivered, taking a step back. His Patronus wasn’t very strong. He fought for his happy thought as the Dementors bore down on him, then cast his Patronus Charm. A silvery mist came out of his wand with no shape or power. He tried to cast it twice more, then turned and ran from the Dementors, which were nearly upon him.

Professor McGonagall stepped in, said “Riddikulus,” then said, “Get moving, Abercrombie,” smiling as she did so. “Good luck!”

“Thanks, Professsor,” Euan said, racing through the next barrier. He skidded to a stop right away. It was dark as night. He stood still, letting his eyes adjust. “Hinkypunks!” Euan muttered when he saw the little lights bobbing around over the marsh that spread before him. If he followed those lights, he’d go off the right path. “Lumos,” he said, lighting his wand and stepping carefully from one tussock of grass barely showing through the murky water to the next. He saw a kelpie swimming nearby. The horse-like beast was trying to lure him into the water. He jumped to a small mound of grass as far from the kelpie as he could manage. When he reached the far edge of the marsh, a wall of flame shot up in front of him. He stepped back, nearly falling in the water, but catching himself just in time. Euan’s brain seemed to be locked in place. Fire? What was he supposed to do to fight fire? Shaking his head for his stupidity, Euan shot a geyser of water from his wand at the fire and raced through the hole in the wall of flame that the water created. He stood panting on the other side, absolutely delighted to see another barrier in front of him, which meant he’d be leaving the horrific marsh behind. On the far side of the barrier was a hippogriff, which pawed the ground menacingly when it saw Euan approaching. Euan froze for a moment, then bowed low, staying down but glancing up through his fringe to see how the hippogriff was responding. The hippogriff screamed loudly, flapping its wings in a fury, but Euan held his bow, not moving. Finally, the hippogriff bowed and Euan was able to stand up again. He moved to the hippogriff very slowly, reaching out to pet it. The animal seemed to enjoy the attention, and followed Euan as he made his way past it to the next barrier. He heard Hagrid chuckle and speak kindly to the hippogriff as he left that task area.

Euan was covered in sweat. The marsh had been horrible, the hippogriff a completely different form of terror, but one that he at least had an idea how to handle. What could possibly be next?

What was next was Hermione! Euan stumbled across the finish line, thoroughly relieved to have survived the tasks.

“Well done, Euan!” Hermione said as she noted his times.

“I didn’t manage the Patronus,” he said with a sigh.

“But you did very well in the marsh and with the hippogriff,” she assured him. “Go on to the Hufflepuff Changing Rooms. Get a drink and some rest. You’ve earned it!”

“Thanks!” the boy said as he walked away. He waved at the cheering crowds, glad they were supportive in spite of his not managing to complete the first task.


* * * * *


“Our Top Ten contestants have all completed their assigned tasks, and the judges have tallied their scores,” Ron announced near noon. “Their times have been factored in and I’m pleased to announce the top three finishers, who will compete for the title of ‘Champion’ after lunch.” He glanced at the ten hopeful students clustered in the centre of the pitch and smiled. “I have to say, I’m impressed with how well they did. And now, in alphabetical order, the top three finishers!” He paused for effect. He was beginning to enjoy announcing. “Mandy Brocklehurst, Ravenclaw!” he said, allowing the cheers to roll on for a bit. “Colin Creevey, Gryffindor!” Renewed cheers rolled across the pitch. “And Neville Longbottom, Gryffindor!” Ron said, “Quietus,” and turned a delighted grin at Harry. “Neville!” he mouthed, and Harry nodded, a huge grin splitting his face.

Out on the field, Neville was so shocked he’d sat down, hard. Colin was busy punching the air and dancing with Mandy, who was in tears. The other Top Ten contestants were pounding the winners on their backs, congratulating them and being truly happy for their success.

“Ron? The other awards?” Harry reminded him.

“I didn’t forget this time,” Ron said with a cheeky grin. He pointed his wand at his throat and said, “Sonorus,” once more. “And the award for Good Sportsmanship goes to Ernie McMillan of Hufflepuff! Ernie has won a tea for two at Madam Puddifoot’s. Congratulations, Ernie! The award for fastest time goes to Neville Longbottom again! He’s going to be starting a collection of those beautiful desk sets from Scrivenshaft’s! Congratulations, Neville!”

Ginny ran across the field to where Neville sat on the ground and placed the box containing the desk set in his lap. “Congratulations, Neville! You really raced through there!”

Neville was still dumbstruck. He finally turned his eyes up to Ginny’s. A slow smile spread on his face in response to hers. “I did it, didn’t I? I made it through!”

“And in excellent time!” Ginny confirmed, holding her hand out to help him to his feet.

Neville looked up at the stands at last. His grandparents were beside themselves, jumping up and down as they cheered. His Great-Uncle Algie had come today, as well. Algie just sat there looking as stunned as Neville felt. Neville grinned up at his family, and finally raised his hand to wave at them, the wave turning into a fist triumphantly punched in the air over and over as realization swept over him. He’d made it to the top three! How was that possible? But he’d made it! He looked at the judges’ stand and gazed at Harry gratefully, then raised his arm and waved to him.

Harry grinned and waved back, as proud of Neville and Colin as he could be. Colin had controlled his impulsive nature and dealt with every obstacle with skill, only being distracted by the kelpie grabbing his foot when he took a wrong step in the marsh. That fall had cost him some time and some points, but he’d managed everything else quite well. Neville. What could anyone say about the boy who had once been timid, round-faced, forgetful Neville? He was a completely different person than he had been just a few years before. Still shy, but now a skilled and fairly confident wizard, whose memory problems were nearly gone. The change in wands had performed a miraculous change in the boy.

Harry was glad to see someone other than a Gryffindor in the third spot. He didn’t know Mandy that well, since she was a Ravenclaw and they hadn’t shared worktables in any classes, but if the Tournament had ended in a Gryffindor sweep, it simply would not have felt right. Harry almost wished one of the others was a Hufflepuff simply for balance, but both Neville and Colin had earned their places on their own merit.

Ron let the cheers and applause roll on for a while, only interrupting when it was beginning to die down. “Lunch will be served in the Great Hall. Please join our competitors there and enjoy a delicious Hogwarts meal. Since it will take some time to remove these tasks and set up the final ones, we will reconvene at 3:30 in the afternoon for the final competition in the D.A. Tournament. Congratulations, Top Three Winners! And thank you to all the competitors! See you this afternoon!”


* * * * *


Mandy was the first to go that afternoon. She stood by Ginny, nervous but excited, eager to face the first challenge. When Ginny told her to go, she ran to the first barrier, bursting through it to find herself facing a giant spider. “Oooo, I hate spiders!” she said, cringing back toward the barrier through which she’d just run. She took several steps away as the monster hurried toward her. Finally shaking herself out of her fear, she shot a Stinging Hex at the beast, which only annoyed it. The spider began chasing her around the task enclosure, with Mandy screaming in panic.

Inside the Gryffindor Changing Rooms, Neville and Colin paced nervously. When they heard Mandy’s screams, both boys blanched, staring at each other in horror. Nothing had made anyone scream like that, not even the conjured Death Eaters or the Boggart Dementors.

“What do you think that could be?” Neville said, his voice quaking.

“No idea. They said we could handle everything,” Colin said, trying to reassure himself as much as Neville. “They said we wouldn’t get hurt.”

Neville nodded, gulping hard to swallow the bile threatening to overwhelm him. “They did promise,” he said. “Harry wouldn’t let us get hurt.”

“No, he wouldn’t. He went through enough dangers in the Tri-Wizard Tournament to want to protect us from such things.”

“But. . .” Neville began as a thought popped into his mind. “But what if the test is to see how we deal with a real danger? I mean, we’re supposed to be training to face real dangers. What if they included one?”

“They wouldn’t,” Colin said, much more positively than he felt. “No. They wouldn’t do that.”

“They might,” Neville said darkly. Both boys sat lost in bleak thoughts as they listened to Mandy’s continued screams. Suddenly, her screams were cut short.

“What happened?” Colin said, startled. “I’m going to ask Ginny.”

“You can’t, Colin,” Neville reminded him. “You’ll be disqualified if you go out there before it’s time.”

“Oh yeah,” Colin said nervously. “Thanks.” He was next. He wondered what had happened to stop Mandy’s screams so suddenly. Was she all right? Would he be? Would they cancel the rest of the tasks, leaving the Tournament unfinished, because Mandy was hurt. . .or dead? He shook himself, doing his best to rid himself of such thoughts.

“Colin? Your turn,” Ginny called from the doorway.

“Is Mandy all right?” he asked as he approached the starting line.

“I’m not allowed to tell you,” Ginny said regretfully. “Ready?” Colin took a deep breath and blew it out, then nodded. “Go! Good luck, Colin!” she called after his racing back.

Colin stopped short when he saw the spider. “That’s why she was screaming,” he thought, then shot a Conjunctivitis Curse at the beast’s eyes. He missed, then dropped and rolled out of the way as the monster leaped onto the spot where he’d just been. The chase was on. The spider raced after Colin, who sprinted around the task area trying to think of the best spell to use. He knew the rules only allowed him two more chances to beat this spider. Finally winded, he stood glaring at the monster towering above him. Then he remembered what he’d heard about the Acromantula Harry had fought in the Tri-Wizard Tournament. “Stupefy!” he cried as he threw himself to the ground right under the spider, aiming at its belly. He rolled away as fast as he could and pelted for the next barrier, hearing cheers all around him and no clicking noises behind him. He glanced over his shoulder and saw Professor McGonagall standing near the spider, ready to release it from the Stunning Spell. McGonagall waved and smiled at Colin when she saw the boy looking towards her.

Colin waved and ran through the barrier. A horrible smell accosted his nostrils, a combination of ancient smelly socks and a toilet that hadn’t been cleaned in many years. He saw two horny grey columns in front of him and tilted his head, wondering what he was supposed to do with them. Then he noticed the columns moved. . .and he looked up. A mountain troll stood in front of him, its club poised to strike him. Colin shrieked and raced between the troll’s legs, the only opening he could find. What the bloody hell are they thinking, giving us a troll to fight? he thought frantically. He had to fight the monster, he had to beat it to win the Tournament. He turned and faced it, trying a couple of spells on it, but they just bounced off its leathery skin, annoying it rather than hurting it. The troll roared its displeasure and swung its club at Colin, who dropped to the ground and rolled away, leaping to his feet and racing away as he willed his brain to work. What was it you were supposed to do to stop a troll? He couldn’t think, his brain was frozen. He stood trembling as the troll approached him again. He aimed a Conjunctivitis Curse at its eyes, barely hitting the edge of one eye. The troll roared in pain, grasping its eye with one hand while swinging its club madly with the other. Colin raced for the barrier, deciding that hitting half of one eye was good enough to get him some points. He didn’t really want to stick around to try for the other eye, anyway.

Once through the barrier, he stood facing a hag, who came at him with her sharp teeth showing, her mouth open and slavering as she raced toward him. “Impedimenta!” he cried, hitting her right in the chest. She toppled over and he ran toward the finish line, grateful to have survived the experience intact.

“Good job, Colin!” Hermione said as she took down his times.

“I didn’t really get the troll, and the spider. . .well. . . .” Colin said uncertainly, still panting from his exertions.

“You did fine,” Hermione assured him. “Now go to the Hufflepuff Changing Rooms and relax for a while.”

“OK,” Colin said, waving at the cheering crowds as he walked tiredly off the field.

Neville sat alone in the Gryffindor Changing Rooms, his nerves so taut that he nearly fell over when Ginny called him to the starting line. He stood trembling next to Ginny, wondering what he was doing, how did he get there? Would he survive? He’d heard roars and screams during Colin’s run. Was Colin all right?

“Neville,” Ginny said, putting a gentle hand on his arm, “you can do this. Don’t worry.”

“Yeah,” he squeaked in an abnormally high voice. “I know.”

“OK, then, good luck!” she said with a smile.

Neville glanced at her nervously, then took a deep breath and blew it out. He stared at the purple Starting Line glittering on the ground in front of him, and the opaque barrier beyond. He could do this. He could do this. “I can DO THIS!” he snarled, and sprinted toward the barrier.

“GO, NEVILLE, GO!” Ginny cried as he raced away. He’d been so nervous, she feared he’d be unable to move, but there he was, charging through the barrier like a champion. She crossed her fingers, hoping he’d be all right. She knew Colin had survived despite some setbacks during his run. Mandy had gotten hysterical and Professor McGonagall had needed to subdue the spider so Mandy could get past it. That experience had cost her a lot of points, as well as time penalties. Colin had done much better. Could Neville possibly beat Colin, who was so quick at everything he did?

Neville burst through the first barrier and found himself directly under the giant spider. He gulped and froze in place, but the spider had already noticed him. Taking a deep breath, he pointed his wand straight up at the monster’s belly, cried, “Impedimenta!” his voice cracking with nerves, then ran as hard as he could to the opposite side of the task area as the spider staggered and began to fall.

Neville didn’t stay to see what happened, but charged through the second barrier. A troll? What were they thinking? A sudden memory of a late-night storytelling session with Harry and Ron popped into his mind. As the troll raised its club, Neville cried, “Wingardium Leviosa!” The club levitated neatly above the troll, which looked up at it stupidly. Neville released the spell and the club caught the troll between the eyes just as Neville pelted toward the next barrier.

A hag waited for him just inside the enclosure, snarling with her horrible mouth wide open and drooling. “I eats kids like you!” she cried, launching herself at him. Neville fell under her weight, then grabbed her shoulders and kept rolling, kicking her off of him over his head. He leaped to his feet and faced her, wand at the ready, his brain ticking off spells on his mental list, looking for the best one to use. When she charged again, he shouted, “Incarcerous!” and the hag fell to the ground tightly wrapped in magical bonds. Neville shouted with laughter and raced to the finish line, where Hermione was jumping up and down in excitement.

“Excellent time, Neville! Wonderful job! I knew you could do it!” she said excitedly.

The stands were rocking with the cheers, applause and the many stamping feet of the delighted crowd. Neville had managed each task in a short time, and done each spell with style and confidence. He stood there, turning in place, amazed at the thick walls of sound that surrounded him. He hadn’t heard anything but his own rasping breath and the sounds of his opponents while he was fighting his way through the tasks. Neville’s face glowed. He didn’t know if he’d won, but he didn’t care. He knew he’d done his very best, and that he’d done as well as he ever could have hoped.

“Go on in the Hufflepuff Changing Rooms while we total up the scores, Neville,” Hermione said, patting him on the back. “You were fantastic! I’m so proud of you!”

“Thanks, Hermione,” he said sincerely. “I’m proud of myself. I didn’t believe I could do all those things, but they just came easily when I thought about what Harry would have done in my place.”

“However you did it, you were wonderful!” she said, standing on tiptoe and kissing his cheek. “Go on, now, I have to take these time sheets to the judges.”

A short time later, the various task enclosures and the horrors within them had been removed. Colin, Neville and Mandy stood in the centre of the field, waiting along with the crowd for the judges’ decision.

Finally, Ron stood up and amplified his voice again. “I can’t tell you how proud I am of every participant in this Tournament,” he began. “And these three — you were all amazing. Good job!” The crowd cheered in agreement with him. “All right. The judges have just handed me the list of winners. I’m going to wait until Professor Dumbledore, Professor Lupin and Harry can get to the centre of the field to do the presentations before I read them off. While they’re making their way across the field, I’d like to remind you that the trophy and plaque for the Champion were paid for by the Hog’s Head. Dark detectors were donated for all three winners by Dervish and Banges. Butterbeer for a party in the House Common Room of the Champion was donated by The Three Broomsticks. Sweets for all three winners were donated by Honeydukes. Scrivenshaft’s has donated another beautiful desk set to be given to the person with the best time. Madam Puddifoot’s has donated another tea for two for the person displaying the best sportsmanship. Ah, everything’s in place now. In ascending order, then, I give you. . .In Third Place, Mandy Brocklehurst of Ravenclaw!” Cheers rang out, for the girl had managed her other two tasks relatively well despite a rough beginning. Being able to continue after being frightened so badly was quite impressive to most spectators. “Our

Second Place winner is Colin Creevey!” Ron’s voice broke with excitement as he cried, “and our Champion is NEVILLE LONGBOTTOM!”

The crowd stood up and yelled, screamed, whistled, shot sparks out of their wands — and Luna Lovegood put on her lion hat and had it roaring quite realistically. Neville stood there, white with shock, unable to move, think or speak.

Dumbledore, Remus and Harry went from Mandy to Colin to Neville, congratulating each and handing out the appropriate prizes. When Harry got to Neville, he pulled him into a hug and murmured, “I am so proud of you!” in his roommate’s ear.

Neville hugged Harry hard, then lifted him off his feet and spun him around, whooping in celebration as realization finally sank in. He’d won! He was the D.A. Champion! “I couldn’t have done any of this without you, Harry. Thanks,” he said sincerely as he set his laughing friend back on his feet.

“You did it yourself, mate. I wasn’t out there,” Harry said, grinning hugely.

“But you were. When I got stuck, I thought, ‘what would Harry do?’ and then I was able to go on.”

“Whatever you did, it was brilliant,” Harry said, not wanting to take any glory away from his friend at all. “You have a choice to make, mate.”

“A choice?”

“Yeah, come over here,” Harry said, leading him to a table that had been brought in during the celebration after the winners were named. “Dervish and Banges have donated three Dark Detectors. You get first choice, Colin gets second, and Mandy gets what’s left. Which do you want?”

Neville looked over the three items on the table. “Which one do you think is best, Harry?” he asked.

“You should choose the one you like best,” Harry urged him, then relented when Neville looked at him imploringly. “OK. I’d probably take the Foe-Glass.”

“Then that’s what I want,” Neville said, picking up the mirror that would show approaching enemies and holding it above his head for the crowd to see. “Thank you, Dervish and Banges!” he cried as the crowd cheered.

“Colin, come and make your choice,” Harry said as Dumbledore took Neville aside to prepare for the award ceremony.

“I think the Sneak-o-Scope is cool,” Colin said, lifting the small item from the table.

“Just don’t trust it completely,” Harry warned. “It can be fooled.”

“OK,” Colin said with a happy grin. “Thanks, Harry.” He raised it above his head and thanked the donors, as well.

Mandy picked up the Secrecy Sensor and held it over her head. “Thank you!” she cried with a happy smile. She had been afraid she’d be disqualified for running in fear from the spider. Losing points and having time penalties wasn’t as bad as being disqualified, and she’d done well with the other obstacles, so she was pleased with her finish.

Ron amplified his voice again. “The desk set for the fastest time goes to Neville Longbottom again! And the Sportsmanship Award goes to Mandy Brocklehurst, who kept going despite a rough beginning. Congratulations, Neville and Mandy!” He waited until the cheers died down, then spoke again. “Professor Dumbledore will now award the D.A. Trophy and Plaque,” he announced. The crowd stilled, watching the ceremony evolving below.

Dumbledore stood next to Neville, facing the crowd. He amplified his voice and said, “The Tournament participants exemplify all the best aspects of the D.A. I cannot tell you how proud I am of each and every one of these students. They have worked hard and achieved a great deal. They’ve learned spells they might never even encounter in school. They have developed physically, emotionally, in self-confidence, skill and generosity of spirit. You have seen them cheering for each other wholeheartedly, no matter which House any of them are in. They have become a truly unified group, and that delights me beyond anything you can imagine. It is my fond hope that such generous feelings toward those in other Houses will only continue to grow, until everyone in the entire school is supportive of each other, no matter what House they’re in. I think it only appropriate that the person who has brought about all these changes should be the one to award the trophy to the Champion. I give you the founder and trainer of the D.A.: Harry Potter!” Dumbledore led the cheers and applause.

Harry blushed madly, dropping his head in embarrassment. He’d thought Dumbledore was going to do the trophy presentation. He glanced at Neville, who was looking at him with devotion shining in his eyes. Neville had proved time and again that he would try anything Harry asked him to, risking his very life even as a Fifth Year when Harry thought he needed to rescue Sirius at the Ministry of Magic. Now, Harry grinned at his friend and lifted his wand, pointing it at his throat and saying, “Sonorus.”

“Erm. . .I didn’t know I was going to have to do this, so I don’t have any speech prepared or anything,” Harry began.

“GOOD!” Fred — or was it George? — hollered.

“YOU TELL ‘EM, HARRY!” George — or was it Fred — insisted just as loudly as his twin.

Harry laughed. “OK, I’ll tell them, and I’ll keep it short. Will that do?”

The twins and many others cheered and hooted their approval.

“All right, you lot, let me get on with this, then!” Harry said with a grin. He lifted the big silver trophy which was handsomely engraved with “D.A. Tournament Champion” in curling letters. Various magical symbols decorated the edge of the cup. “Creating the D.A. was actually Hermione Granger’s idea,” he began. “I thought she just wanted me to teach her and Ron. When she said she’d found a ‘few’ people who were interested in learning from me as well, I was shocked! And then twenty-five people showed up for the first meeting! Well, all I can say is, it’s been an amazing journey from that time to now. I’m glad Hermione had the idea. The inter-House cooperation that has been created due to participation in D.A. is wonderful, and a welcome change. The new friendships that have been formed, the skills learned, the support each person gives all of the others — I’m so proud of all of you.” He turned to Neville and handed him the cup. “Neville, you were simply brilliant! Good job! Congratulations!” He pointed his wand at his throat and said, “Quietus,” relieved that his speech making was over.

As the crowd and the other D.A. members cheered and whistled around them, Neville stared into Harry’s eyes for a long moment, then stood there gazing at the cup in his hands, totally stunned.

“It’s yours, mate!” Harry said quietly.

“It is, isn’t it?” Neville said, his face finally lighting up with joy. “Thank you, Harry!” He raised the cup above his head and looked at the huge crowd standing and cheering all around him. His grandparents and Great-Uncle Algie were jumping up and down, clapping as hard as they could, sparks coming from the ends of their wands. Everywhere he looked, people were cheering — for him! Neville stood up straight and tall, the trophy held firmly in his strong right hand, smiling for all he was worth. For the rest of his life, Neville would remember the huge bubble of joy that filled him in this shining moment.

The cheering and congratulations went on for quite a while. Finally, the crowd began to make its way to the Great Hall for dinner, after which they would gather on the grounds to watch the Weasley twins’ fireworks display. Harry could not have been happier as he walked across the pitch toward its entrance with his arm around Ginny, with Ron, Hermione, Colin, Neville and many other friends all around him. Amid the laughter and fun, he suddenly shivered. He dismissed it, thinking he was just tired, when he shivered again. He stopped and scanned the darkening sky.

“What’s up, Harry?” Ron said with a puzzled frown.

Harry was silent, staring hard into the sky. Suddenly he whipped out his wand and pulled his Shrinking Charmed Firebolt out of his pocket. “DEMENTORS!” he cried. “D.A. on your brooms! GO-GO-GO-GO-GO!” All around him, D.A. members pulled out their pocketed, miniaturized brooms before he even finished speaking. Soon the D.A. was mounted and circling protectively over the heads of the panicked students and parents now beginning to pour out of the stadium.

”Everyone STOP!” Dumbledore called in an amplified voice, holding up his hands. “Please stay inside the stadium! It will be easier to protect you if you are not spread out across the grounds. The D.A. and the staff will take care of the Dementors, never fear. Please, everyone take a seat and be patient.” He looked up and called, “Harry! Come here, please!”

Harry had started to zoom toward the Dementors, planning to stop them before they got to the stadium. He cursed and turned around, pelting back to Dumbledore as fast as he could. “What?” he snapped impatiently.

“Harry, do not go off by yourself,” Dumbledore warned quietly. “Don’t get ahead of the rest of the group. Don’t be lured into following them. It could very well be a trap. You’d already left everyone but Ginny behind when I called you. She and Ron have the only brooms with a chance to keep up with yours. Be careful, lad.”

“You’re right,” Harry said grimly, kicking himself mentally for taking off so impulsively. “And the D.A. could use real-life practice as well.” Already strategies were clicking into place in his head.

“Ask those in D.A. who are unable to do the Patronus Charm to give their brooms to staff members, would you?” Dumbledore added. “I should have the staff carry their brooms in their pockets the way the D.A. members do.”

Harry grinned for a moment, appreciating the compliment. “OK. Hang on.” He flew over to Ron and talked with him for a moment, then flew off and joined Remus, who was already in the air. Ron called the D.A. to the ground in the centre of the pitch while Harry and Remus circled above, guarding the stadium from the swiftly approaching Dementors.

“Those with strong Patronuses — you know who you are — keep your brooms and get back up there with Harry and Professor Lupin. Do NOT leave the perimeter of the stadium! We are much stronger together than we are individually! Those who can’t do Patronus Charms yet, stay on the ground and give your brooms to the staff members who ask for them. You’ll be handing out chocolate. Those who can do Patronus Charms but still need to work on them — you fly in the circle next to a more experienced person. We want you to practice on these Dementors, but you need someone who can do a serious Patronus next to you in case yours doesn’t work. There should be enough of us to make three ranks. Pick an altitude and stay there, following the perimeter of the stands. Don’t change altitudes — you’ll all have a better chance at a clear shot if you stay in formation. Get to work on your happy thoughts and get up there, because they’re nearly on us now!”

With that, Ron jumped on his broom and zoomed upward, trusting his troops to do as they were told. Sure enough, his orders were quickly followed and there were soon moving circles within circles of fighters covering the stadium in serried rows, flying by pairs. Most of the pairs were D.A. members, but some were made up of a staff member and a student, or a student and a parent who could do a Patronus and had nabbed a broom somewhere. All the Weasley men were circling the pitch, leaving Molly to try to keep the Grangers calm. Harry, Remus, Ron and Dumbledore soared over them all, calling down distances as the Dementors approached, each man keeping an eye on one part of the group of fighters below him.

“They’re two hundred yards out and closing fast, coming from the northwest,” Harry called. “One hundred yards. Get ready!” He forced himself to hold back his Patronus Charm to give the D.A. a chance to practice. If the Dementors got too close, he and the other older D.A. members, staff and parents would take care of them.

Hundreds of Dementors approached the stadium, then split into smaller groups and began to circle the stadium, approaching from several sides.

“Heads up!” Harry called. “They’re coming from the west, southwest and east now! Closing fast!” That was the last thing he called, because now they were near enough that everyone could see them. “GO!”

Many voices cried “Expecto Patronum!” at once and a wide variety of Patronus Charms raced to meet the oncoming Dementors. When a Patronus faltered, a stronger one quickly took its place. The less experienced D.A. members were getting excellent practice under real battle conditions, while the advanced students, as well as staff members and parents who could do the charm, did their best to allow the students time to try before sending their own Patronus. Those who were casting the Patronus Charms battled fiercely for several minutes, but they began to get discouraged. There were so very many Dementors and they didn’t seem to be that rattled by the Patronus Charms coming their way.

Finally, Harry couldn’t take it anymore. One side of the stadium was about to be overwhelmed. “EXPECTO PATRONUM!” he cried, and a magnificent stag Patronus galloped from his wand to the mass of Dementors bearing down on the defenders below Harry. The stag tossed Dementors left and right, going back and charging them over and over. Dumbledore’s phoenix Patronus soon joined it, flying in the Dementors’ faces and pecking at them, beating them with its wings. Remus’s wolf Patronus ran silently and attacked swifly. Ron’s bear raced across the sky and chased away another group. The large, strong Patronuses above them gave heart to the less experienced people below, and their Patronuses became stronger, following Hermione’s otter, Neville’s dolphin, Ginny’s horse and many others in numerous fierce attacks. Finally, the Dementors were vanquished, and a cheer went up from the stadium below them. Harry waited until he was sure no more Dementors were coming, then zoomed down to see how everyone was as the fighters landed below him. He noticed Molly Weasley patting a sobbing Mrs. Granger on the back, and flew over to their seats.

“What’s wrong? Is she hurt?” he said anxiously.

“No, dear,” Molly assured him. “You lot did a wonderful job of keeping them away. But she’s quite frightened. She felt them, you see.”

“Nasty things, Dementors,” he said to Mrs. Granger, hoping he could comfort her a bit. “They’re all gone now, though. You need some chocolate. That will fix you right up. Hang on, I’ll go bring you some.” He flew to the centre of the pitch where D.A. members were helping Mr. Honeyduke pass out chocolate. Hermione and Ginny had just landed nearby and were now organizing the distribution.

“Hermione? Come with me,” he said, grabbing some chocolate as he took off. She swung her leg over her broom and followed him slowly. She still hated to fly.

“What is it?” she asked as she brought her broom next to his. He’d waited for her to catch up.

“Your mum. She’s quite upset,” he said, heading toward their seats.

“Mum!” Hermione said, pushing her school broom to its full speed. Harry stayed with her easily as she approached the stands. “Oh, no. I can’t dismount there. How am I going to get down? There’s no room for me to land.”

“Hover next to me over the empty seats in front of your mum,” Harry said. “I’ll get you down.”

“How?” she said nervously.

“Trust me,” he said with a cheeky grin.

She smiled and shook her head, knowing she could trust him absolutely, but could she trust her own shaky flying skills?

They hovered over the empty chairs and Harry held his arm out to her. “Take my arm,” he told her, “no, with both hands. I’ve got you,” he said, grasping her forearm securely. He leaned over and held the front of her broom. “Now swing your leg off and I’ll get the broom out from under you.”

“What’s going to hold me up?” she squeaked nervously as she tried to do what he said.

“I will,” he assured her. “I’ve got you, Hermione. You’ll be fine.” He pulled the broom away from her and leaned over, lowering her very carefully until her feet touched the floor. She finally let go of his arm and stood there shaking. “Thanks, I think,” she said with a nervous laugh.

“You’re welcome,” he said, hopping off of his broom in midair quite casually and leaning both brooms against the seats. “How is she, Mrs. Weasley? We brought chocolate.”

“Mum? Dad? Are you all right?” Hermione said worriedly.

“What happened? Why did it get so cold?” Mrs. Granger said timorously. Mr. Granger had his arms around his wife, trying to comfort her, but his face was as white with fear as his wife’s.

Hermione explained about the Dementors while Harry unwrapped the chocolate bar and broke off a big piece for Mrs. Granger. “Eat this, it will help.”

“No, thank you, dear, it’s bad for your teeth,” Mrs. Granger, the dentist, said.

“Right now it’s more important to get it in you and get you warm and comfortable again,” Harry insisted. “You can brush your teeth later.”

“I’m dieting, Harry,” Mrs. Granger insisted.

“Mum, this is wizard chocolate. It does more than rot your teeth or make you fat. It has medicinal properties in cases like this,” Hermione told her, trying to say things that would make sense to her parents.

“Medicinal properties?” Mr. Granger said.

”Yes, it’s the treatment of choice for Dementor encounters,” Hermione insisted. “You need to eat some too, Dad. Everyone else here is eating it. Otherwise, some people might feel faint or ill. The chocolate cures that.”

“It does?” Mr. Granger said, looking at the wrapper for a list of ingredients.

“It’s wizard chocolate, Dad,” Hermione said firmly. “You won’t understand what the label says. Just eat it, a lot of it!” Finally, her parents relented and began to eat the chocolate. Both of their faces regained healthy colour in a short time, and they both looked more alert and refreshed.

“That’s wonderful!” Mrs. Granger said. “I feel so much better! What’s in that chocolate?”

“Most of the effect is from magic, Mum,” Hermione explained patiently.

Meanwhile, Harry had been handing chocolate around to the other people seated nearby. “If you lot don’t need me,” he began, seeing Hermione’s parents looking better.

“Thanks, Harry,” Hermione said with a smile.

“Harry?” Mrs. Granger said, looking up at the tall young man. “Was that a deer you made? And what came out of your wand, Hermione? There was a bear in the way and I couldn’t quite see yours.”

“Those were our Patronus Charms,” Hermione said. “Harry’s is a stag, mine is an otter, Ron’s is a bear, Ginny’s a horse, Dumbledore’s a phoenix, Remus’s a wolf, Neville’s a dolphin. Each wizard’s Patronus is a bit different. They’re the only weapon we have against Dementors. They protect us while also chasing the Dementors away. You saw them at the party at the Weasleys last summer, remember?”

Her mum nodded vaguely, still a bit in shock. “What are they made of? They looked silvery,” her mum said.

“They’re made of. . .Harry? What are they made of?” Hermione said, suddenly stumped.

Harry leaned over and rapped his knuckles gently on top of her head, teasing her. “Magic.” He laughed and said, “If you don’t need me, I’m going to check on the others.” He waved, climbed on his broom and leaped over the parapet at the front of the stadium with a shout of joy to be back in the air again.

“That boy does love to fly,” Molly said with a fond smile as he soared away.

Nobody was hurt, and everyone was relieved to have the horrible encounter over with. With a good load of chocolate under their belts, they weren’t hungry for dinner yet, so Dumbledore asked the Weasley twins to go ahead with their fireworks while everyone was still outside.

Harry, Ginny, Ron and Hermione all sat with the Weasley family in the stands, sitting in front of the elder Weasleys. Harry’s seat was right in front of Molly’s. As she complimented all of her family on how well they’d done fighting the Dementors, Molly couldn’t keep her hands out of Harry’s windswept hair.

“Mum, give over! He’s fine,” Ron said when he noticed.

“What are you doing back there, Mrs. Weasley?” Harry said at the same time.

“Oh, I’m sorry, dear, it was just a bit tousled from flying,” Molly said, trying to keep her hands to herself. But Harry was windswept, rumpled, obviously tired and sitting right in front of her, more temptation than she was able to bear.

“I don’t mind what you’re doing as long as you don’t try to cut it,” he said, feeling her measuring the length of his hair by gathering it in her hands.

“Mum, you can’t cut his hair,” Ginny warned her mother.

“Oh, I wouldn’t do that,” she said regretfully.

“He and I both like it that long, Mum,” Ginny told her. “You can play with it — he likes that — but don’t even think about suggesting he cut it!”

Molly sighed and finger-combed his hair back into place as well as she could. “It is a bit longish, dear,” she said.

“Mum!” Ginny warned.

“I know you both like it. And it does look very nice, dear. But he’s such a handsome boy. Wouldn’t he look nice if. . .”

“Mum!” Ginny and Ron said together. “No!”

Harry was laughing. “If she doesn’t have scissors or a knife or a wand in her hand, leave her alone. She’s not bothering me.”

“You’re such a nice boy, Harry, dear,” Molly said fondly, rubbing his shoulders gently and finally sitting back in her seat.

“Aw, gee, you stopped!” Harry whinged, turning around and grinning at her.

“Oh you!” she said, knowing she was being teased, and also knowing he’d be willing to let her keep fussing over him far longer than her own children would be.

The fireworks began and everyone ooooo’d and ahhhh’d appropriately. A huge Chinese Fireball dragon flew from one end of the pitch to the other, breathing fire that sizzled and popped before dissolving into coloured sparkles. Spinning Catherine wheels danced around the stadium. Various words crossed the sky, some funny, some rude, some advertising Weasleys’ Wizard Whizbangs. Flying pigs made out of sparkles flapped merrily around. A beautiful firework shaped like a flock of phoenixes was the grand finale. They soared around the pitch, finally flying low to the ground and soaring straight up, with each bird then flying in a different direction, leaving a trail of scarlet and gold sparkles in its wake. Finally, “Congratulations to the D.A. Champion!” glittered in the sky in golden sparks. These words lingered in the sky until the sun came up the next day.

A tired but happy group entered the Great Hall for a late supper. Most of the guests had gone home, but the Weasley twins, Bill and Charlie had decided to stay for the party in Gryffindor celebrating Neville’s victory. Neville was surrounded by well-wishers at dinner, on the way to Gryffindor Tower and in the Common Room, as well. Everyone was thrilled at how well he’d done, and grateful for the party they were having as a result of his success. The Weasley twins spent their time at the party demonstrating new products from their joke shop.

Hours later, Harry and Ron followed Neville up the stairs to their room. Dean was already getting changed for bed. Neville set his trophy on his bedside table and kept glancing at the huge silver cup as he changed.

“It’s real, Neville, honest,” Ron teased.

“Oh, uh, yeah, I know that,” Neville said, startled out of his bemused state.

“If it couldn’t be me, I’m glad it was you,” Dean said supportively. He lifted the trophy and admired it. “They forgot something.”

“Huh?” Neville said, startled. “What did they forget?”

“Your name,” Dean said with a smile. “I can fix that, if you want.”

“You can put my name on it?” Neville said with a pleased smile.

“Sure. Hang on.” Dean set the trophy down and picked up his wand. Neville, Harry and Ron gathered behind him to watch the artist at work. In a short time, Dean had added “Neville Longbottom” along with the year and a variety of flourishes to the trophy’s engraving. Satisfied with his work, he handed it to Neville. “How’s that?”

“Wow,” Neville said in awe. “Thanks!” He stared at the trophy, not really noticing as his friends each clapped him on the back, said good night and climbed into their beds. As the room filled with soft snores, Neville still stood there, the trophy gleaming in the moonlight streaming through the window. He couldn’t believe it. He was a winner at last. People had cheered themselves hoarse — for him! For the first time in his life, his relatives were proud of him, really proud of him! After a lifetime of feeling inadequate and stupid, this was a sweet feeling indeed. With a contentment he’d never felt in his life, Neville put his trophy on his bedside table and got into bed, staring at it until sleep finally took him off to dreams of winning championship trophies.


* * * * *


Author’s afterword: This chapter was written long before “Half Blood Prince” was published. In HBP Chapter 4, “Ambrosius Flume” is named as the owner of Honeydukes, but I believe I’ve mentioned “Mr. Honeyduke” in Refiner’s and possibly in Destiny as well, so I’m sticking with that name. As I’ve said before, I’m completely ignoring HBP except for giving Mrs. Longbottom the first name JKR specified there.


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