Somewhere Safe - Chapter 16

"Come on, Monster Slayer." Delphi mocked. "Let's see what you've got."

When discussing dueling, most witches and wizards bring up hexes, jinxes, and even transfiguration. Unfortunately, the first two were not areas that he was well versed in. The few hexes that Harry knew he had learned from the twins and the jinxes he learned going through the school year. Fred and George were underrated geniuses, but their aim was not to hurt people.

Contrary to popular belief, Harry didn't coast by solely on the pressure from Hermione. He loved magic. While he didn't memorize the books on history, or theory, he spent a lot of time with The Standard Book of Spells for each year. Harry had made sure to study them after seeing what a couple could do during his first year. Unlocking doors, levitating clubs, and fixing his glasses with a few words was just the beginning. On top of all that, his experience in Charms class had shown him that his magic was flowing a lot smoother than before.

"Three. Two. One." Professor Riddle counted them down. "Begin."

Delphi burst into motion, launching spells toward him. Instead of casting a shield, Harry summoned a small flock of birds. They burst into puffs of feathers as the incoming spells hit them. With a twist of his wand, he sent the cloud of feathers racing toward his opponent.

On instinct, Delphi conjured a shield, only to find the feathers burst into dust once they made contact. She swirled her wand, gathering the particles without dropping her protection. They reformed into pebbles before rocketing back toward Harry.

They faded away with a flick of his wand. Having been initially conjured by his magic, the transfigured feathers had a stronger connection to him.

The momentary distraction was enough for Delphi to press her attack. She spun, bringing her wand up high, making the platform roll like a wave toward him. Harry tilted the point of his wand down, forming a raised wedge under his feet. The wave broke against it, splitting off and continuing on.

Harry attacked with his own transfiguration. A line of squared pillars punched up from the platform heading directly for Delphi. She shuffled to the side only for them to follow her. Instead of moving further, she waited.

With a feral smile, she simply stepped on the closest one as it popped up. The expression on her face fell as her foot sank instead of pressing up. She lurched forward, the now-gooey pillar stopped just above her ankle.

Delphi tried to pull her foot out from the platform. She growled. Her wild gaze shifted from her trapped foot to Harry. She raised her wand ready to wipe the floor with him. Only to see him holding her wand. Her eyes snapped to look at her hand to see it was empty.

Harry walked calmly over to her. She felt her foot raise steadily from the platform until it was free once more. Delphi glared as he approached. He held out her wand, with the handle toward her. A wicked smile crossed her face. She snatched the wand from his hand. Her arm snapped back in a blur.

A bright red spell nearly clipped his ear as Harry dodged to the side. Harry hopped back to get some space to work. Even then, the two were just barely out of arms reach of the other. Their wands practically collided as though they were fencing.

The two dipped, parried, and slipped close-quarters spells. What had once been a standard duel was a brawl. Delphi spun and twirled, dancing around the room. Harry moved sharply, dodging under her spells, and turning his shoulders to let them slip by. Their fight flowed around the room. Each adjusted smoothly to the change.

Delphi swatted away a Body Bind spell to find her robe shift around her. The fabric split into strips before wrapping her up like a mummy. Her arms were forced down by her sides as the bindings tightened. Harry stepped forward, quickly plucking the wand from her hand before she could cast another spell.

They both were breathing heavily as the fight finally came to a close. Delphi stared intensely into his eyes. The wildfire in her eyes hadn't faded one bit. In fact, it seemed to burn brighter. Harry's body locked up a moment later. His eyes shifted to see a rather annoyed Professor Riddle standing nearby.

"If you two are finished." He bit out. "Twenty points from Gryffindor and Ravenclaw. Detention for both of you Saturday, starting after lunch." The professor stalked over to them. "I am going to release both of you know. You will each take a spot on the opposite side of the room. I will return your wands after class." He turned his attention solely on his daughter. "No more outbursts. Do I make myself clear?"

Delphi nodded. The professor released both of them with a flick of his wrist. She glared at Harry as the strips of what had been her robe dropped to the floor at her feet. He got a better look at her without the bulky fabric in the way. She had a nice figure, athletic while still having curves. Harry kept it at a cursory glance rather than an extended look. He didn't want to let his guard down around her.

"I'm not done with you, Potter." She said low enough so only he could hear.

Harry shook his head. He walked back to join Rose.

"What was that?" Rose asked once he was near.

"What?" Harry asked.

"Don't 'what' me." Rose jabbed him in the ribs with her finger.

Harry yelped. She had found a ticklish spot without even trying.

"The duel?" Harry asked, taking a step out of her reach.

"Yes, the duel." Rose rolled her eyes. "You didn't say a single word the entire time."

"Really?" Harry raised his eyebrows at the information. "I didn't mean to; I was focused on the fight."

"Be careful around her." Rose said glaring at Delphi. "She's mad."

"I should be angry, not her." Harry scoffed.

"Not angry, mad. Off her rocker, mad." Rose wobbled her head. "I swear, the only sane one on that side of the family is Aunt Andi."

"We're related?" Harry asked.

Rose smiled at that.

"Not really." She said after a moment. "Padfoot is cousins with her mom. You've met Aunt Andi, she teaches potions. Since Padfoot is our godfather, we can technically call her a cousin. Usually just to annoy her."

"Huh." Harry let that sink in. "Professor Tonks isn't her mother?"

"No." Rose scoffed. "Thank goodness. No. Aunt Andi's sister, Bellatrix, is her mother. Did you know Narcissa Malfoy is his cousin too? All three of them are sisters."

"So, technically." Harry sighed. "Draco is our cousin?"

Rose nodded and mirrored her sigh. "Padfoot is worth it."

They fell into an easy silence.

"Aureum isn't nearly as bad." Rose spoke after a moment. "Kind of annoying, but not as bad."

"Who?" Harry asked.

"Aureum Malfoy." Rose looked at him again. "You don't know Rumi?"

Harry shook his head.

"Draco's little sister." Rose clarified. "She's the same age as Iris. Slytherin, like her brother. She's the least evil of the bunch."

Harry settled in a spot to watch the rest of the class duel. Neville did well, staying on for four challengers. A Ravenclaw guy that Harry didn't recognize ended his streak. That student only lasted two rounds before losing to Rose. His sort-of twin did even better with a streak of six.

The most shocking was Lavender. She seemed bored when she stepped on the platform, but flawlessly knocked the defender out of bounds. The same thing happened to the next three students as well.

By the end of class, Hermione still held the longest streak which led to Gryffindor winning a homework free evening. Harry guessed that she would probably still do the essay. He pushed her from his train of thought.

"Remember." Professor Riddle spoke loudly as the room returned to normal. "The Dueling League starts Wednesday Evening. Anyone interested should attend the first meeting. Your aptitude will be measured, and rank assigned." He seemed to direct that to Harry. "There is something special Professor Flitwick and I will announce as well."

"What do you think it is?" Lavender asked as she came up beside Harry.

Harry shrugged. "You did really well up there."

"Thank you, Harry." Lavender preened. "You were impressive too."

"I've never seen Riddle get so worked up." Neville added, the group of friends formed up. "She usually wipes the floor with everyone."

"Hermione did pretty well." Harry remarked.

"That's because she's almost as mental as Riddle." Parvati cut in. "Is it true you were friends in your world?"

Harry nodded; his shoulders slumped. "I'd rather not talk about it."

Rose squeezed his hand.

"Mister Potter." Professor Riddle called.

Harry looked back to see the older man at the front of the room holding his wand. He reached out to it. The class watched as the wand zipped over to his waiting hand.

"Thank you, Professor." Harry said with a stiff nod.

"We've got a couple of hours before dinner." Rose spoke up. "Is there anything you want to do?"

"Thanks." Harry shook his head. "Don't worry about me. What do you usually do?"

"Homework." Parvati groaned. "Lord Longbottom here won't let us do anything fun."

"If we finish it now, we'll have more time later." Neville grumbled.

"We don't have any homework yet." Ciri spoke up.

"Don't say that too loud." Lavender whispered. "They might hear you."