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Chapter Seventy Nine - Bang!... Thud!
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―==(oIo)==―
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The next morning Neville received an owl from Marcus Flint of all people.
As soon as he realised who it was from and, though he knew a number of detection charms, he asked the others to carefully check over the letter, and him, to see if any harmful charms or curses had snuck past him.
When it all came up clear, Neville finally opened the letter. Of course, by then all the other Heirs were carefully watching, waiting for something to be triggered they'd all missed.
A quick read and, as he did, his eyebrows rose in surprise.
"It's from Flint, alright. Marcus Flint," he said, eyes still on the contents of the letter. "Apparently, he's Nott's nominated second.
"Flint wants to discuss the terms of the Honour Duel," he continued. "He's already been in contact with Duelling Master Robards of the DMLE, Captain of the Piste. He's asking for the duel to be delayed until next Monday, due to all the funerals that are being held this week, including his grandfather's, his Late Lord of House. He claims Robards is willing to book the duelling chamber at the Ministry for next Monday at twelve noon and, get this, demands I confirm."
After a quick snort of amusement he continued, "He wants terms to determine capitulation and victory set before the duelling flag is dropped."
"How rude!" scoffed Tracey.
"It is," nodded Harry, remembering the book on formal duels he'd read; and reread even as recently as the previous night.
Harry thought for a few moments and looked to Neville, "Your father, if I remember correctly, is a full bottle on pre-duel etiquette, isn't he?"
"Yeah, he is," replied the other boy, before what Harry was getting at had the Lumos light up. "You're alright with me asking my father for help in responding?"
"Yep," said Harry. "Consider it... making good use of the resources available to you in your duties as Second."
Relieved, Neville said, "Yeah. When you put it like that..."
Daphne offered, "You can use the floo in our apartment to floo call him."
After a glance at Harry to see he didn't have a problem with it, he turned to Daphne and said, "Thank you. That's most kind. I'll do that, tonight."
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―==(oIo)==―
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After a long day of classes with most students, those who didn't find themselves having to attend funerals, settling back into study after a previous week of high drama, after their double of Herbology to wrap up the day, Harry and his ladies returned to the apartment.
Neville said he was going to go change and would be right back.
He was back less than fifteen minutes later and he and Harry, assisted by Daphne, laid out what Harry saw as 'terms' for the duel. Since Flint had been quite rude in his letter, Harry wanted the terms to be quite harsh.
Neville gave a low whistle and said, "I'll let my father know and we'll see what we can come up with."
Then he headed for the floo, plucking the kneeling mat up from its resting place against the side of the fireplace and laying it down on the hearth.
Once the call connected and Neville had his head in the green flames, Daphne asked, "Do you think he'll agree?"
He gave one of his half shrugs and said, "If Frank and Neville can rile the man enough with their response, I think he'll accept."
After speaking for about half an hour with his father, Neville finally pulled his head out of the floo and groaned a little climbing back to his feet.
As he massaged his knees he said, "Dad's going to write the response... based on what you told me... and HEED it back. I'll then rewrite it in my hand and owl it."
Harry nodded, "Sounds like a plan."
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―==(oIo)==―
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After a quiet Wednesday, Thursday morning had yet another letter for Neville from Flint. This one in response to the letter he owled on the Tuesday night.
Harry had read that one and snorted in amusement at the polite yet condescending tone of it. Basically, it was worded to state that Nott should feel privileged to be permitted to duel One of the Seven. Then went into the terms.
There would be no Unforgivables. If such was cast, the Captain of the Piste would step in. The one who cast the Unforgivable, besides being arrested, will be deemed the vanquished. As it was an Honour Duel, no curses cast to be deliberately fatal were allowed. Again, the Captain would step in at the first cast of one and with the same deliberation. A few points Harry didn't even think of included no use of potions in the system before the start of the duel, they would be tested for them; no carrying of any weapon other than the one wand; no carrying of potions on the person; no poisons; and scans would be made of both duellers immediately prior to stepping on the piste for all of the above to ensure compliance. There were a few other points, but those were the 'biggies'.
Flint's second letter basically accused Harry of being a coward, but then stated the terms were 'grudgingly accepted' - and that was all Harry needed.
When Neville finished quietly reading it to them all, Harry said, "Excellent. Let your father know to contact Duelling Master Robards that it's confirmed for 12 noon on Monday."
Neville nodded back.
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―==(oIo)==―
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Friday morning's Daily Prophet had news of the duel. It accurately portrayed who was involved, where it would be held and at what date and time. And went into quite a bit as to why it happened.
Harry was just happy the article didn't accuse him of being an up-and-coming dark lord or something. While it was bit scathing of him demanding the duel, it also covered he was in the right to do it. So, he was happy enough with the reporting of it.
What he wasn't happy about was it meant the spectators' gallery would be packed. He asked Neville to make sure he had three 'family' seats reserved for it.
"Don't worry about that, Harry," said the boy. "That's always the case. The family of both duelers have a private box each opposite one another level with the centre line of the piste."
Harry nearly sighed in relief. "Make sure those of our family get those seats, would you?"
"You should ask Lord Black, as your godfather, to do that."
"Good idea," he nodded. "I'll let him know, via mirror, sometime today."
While the others were all in classes, Harry spent almost the entire time in the Room. While there, he practiced and practiced and practiced. During breaks, he did his best to memorise the rewritten and reorganised list of dark curses, so he could remember what they looked like and what they were when they were cast at him; and their counters.
He also wore his duelling robes throughout the entire time, so he would become very comfortable wearing them. As they had armour within them and were, even then, padded, he needed to get used to the slightly added resistance to his movements they caused. They had weight reducing charms on them, but they did little for the momentum of that weight. That was the resistance he felt.
On one of his breaks he mirror-called Sirius and told him to work out who could be in the family box for him.
"I can do that, pup," his godfather replied.
He was so involved in what he was doing he was almost late for Ancient Runes in fourth period.
When he joined Hermione and Daphne in the classroom, just before the door was shut, he quietly and confidently said to both of them, "I'm ready. The weekend will be refining what I know."
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―==(oIo)==―
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And that's exactly what happened, to a point.
Across the weekend he spent an hour on the training piste, then two hours of working on assignments, a half hour yet again going over the list of dark curses and hexes that could be thrown his way, then start again. The only breaks were for morning and afternoon teas and lunch. He started after breakfast and stopped just before dinner time.
He was actually surprised he'd managed to get all his assignments caught up by Sunday evening, leaving him free to concentrate on the duel.
On Monday, he attended breakfast in the Great Hall with the others, then the double of History of Magic.
However, after morning tea, when he entered the potions lab for the double of Potions, the professor told him not to attend and make himself ready for his duel. The class would be working on a potion that would take them right through to the lunch break and he'd have to have left by then.
"Go meditate, or something!" she ordered him.
He thought that was a bloody clever idea so returned to the apartment, told Dobby he'd be meditating and to 'wake' him at eleven thirty, cleared a space on the floor in front of the fireplace and assumed his meditation pose.
His mind health was something he'd been ignoring of late. Besides, it gave him an excellent opportunity to make sure his spell repertoire, both light and dark, was at the forefront of his mind; together with his knowledge on what advantages he could take on the piste and those which could be used against him.
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―==(oIo)==―
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At a few minutes past eleven o'clock, he was disturbed when Hermione came in, scowling.
"Problem?" he asked.
The Professor kicked me out. She said I wasn't focussing enough and she thought I was a danger to the other students. I wasn't, though. I know I wasn't."
He chuckled, rose and walked over to give her a hug.
As he backed off he said, "No, I daresay you weren't; but, think about it. Why else would she kick you out. And, did she deduct any points off you?"
It didn't take her long to figure out and she looked in surprise at Harry.
"She kicked me out so I could be with you for your duel," she said almost in awe.
"Yup."
That's when Daphne walked in, with almost the same 'tale'. However, she'd already figured it out.
Then Neville walked in with a smirk. He explained, "A few minutes after Professor Grimfield threw Hermione out, she threw me out."
Harry laughed.
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―==(oIo)==―
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At eleven thirty five the four used the Potter apartment floo to floo directly to the reception area of the Ministry's duelling chamber. Master Auror Robards - or, rather, Captain of the Piste Robards in his current persona - was there to welcome them.
He quickly made sure Hermione and Daphne were safely escorted to the Potter family box by an auror - Sirius, Remus and a few others were already there and waiting - then took both Harry and Neville aside to be scanned. Both, of course, came up clean.
"I'll be scanning you again, just before you step onto the piste, Lord Potter," he warned.
Harry gave a nod and replied, "Understood, Master Robards."
After the scans both boys were allowed to enter the floor of the piste, but not approach the piste itself. They did so.
The first thing Harry noticed on walking through the door and onto the floor was, as expected, the seating was packed. Next were the flashes and pops of wizarding cameras coming from basically one area of the plush spectator boxes. Clearly, that was the media area.
Walking further onto the floor, Harry looked to either side and saw his 'family' sitting in a spectator's box halfway along, as Neville told him it would be. It appeared to have seating for ten - two rows of five. He saw Hermione and Daphne, of course. They were sitting between Remus and Sirius with Narcissa sitting at the end seat left of that row. Behind them were Frank, Alice, Samuel, Adeline and... Marchbanks? He didn't know she was going to be here.
Sirius waved and tossed him a jaunty salute. Harry waved back with a grin.
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―==(oIo)==―
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Finally, the time was only one minute away from the appointed hour.
Robards and his 'second' rescanned both him and Nott, who had entered a minute after he and Neville did and immediately directed them onto the piste at either end.
Neville stood off the piste and back about three paces, but level with Harry. It could be called a right angle. And Nott and his second were the same.
During the whole lead up to then, both duellers and their seconds were kept well away from one another, with aurors enforcing that gap.
Robards then listed out the terms of the duel and asked both duellers to confirm before turning to the seconds, who also confirmed.
Then he asked, "As per the law I ask each dueller if they wish to withdraw. Does either dueller wish to withdraw?"
Nott just sneered and shook his head while Harry politely replied, "No, thank you."
Robards sent a glare back at Nott for his rudeness and gave Harry a smile smile and tiny head nod.
"Very well," he said to both, then called, "Activate the wards!"
Instantly, the rune based ward scheme Internationally accepted as the standard sprung to life on the piste. The only weakness in the scheme was keyed to Robards's magical signature. He could step through it from the outside. It was a necessary weakness, to allow Robards to step through and magically stop the duel if he deemed the rules or terms had been breached.
He then firmly stated, "The duel commences when I next say the word, 'Mark!'. Are both duellers ready?"
As per the rules, Harry gave a slight bow to the Master before turning to face Nott. Unsurprisingly, Nott had ignored the man.
"Lord Nott!" The Captain barked. "I will have your signal you are ready before I will begin."
'Lord Nott, eh?' thought Harry. 'Clearly old Caracticus emancipated the boy in his Will. That's all the excuse I'll need to do what I'll do when I win. He's no longer considered a child.'
Nott finally gave the barest of nods to Robards before he turned back to Harry and dropped into a dueller's stance. Harry took his own and noticed Nott's stance was one of instant offence.
Harry's was more one of relaxed poise and readiness; right foot and shoulder forward, knees loose and 'uncocked' and on the balls of his feet with a bare minimum of weight on his heels. His wand, of course, was in his hand. However, it was pointed down and slightly away, while Nott's was held up high.
There was short pause as Robards consulted a clock bolted to the wall opposite and above the heads of the spectators.
Then, "Three!... Two!... One!... MARK!"
Nott had timed it well. As soon as Robards began the 'M; for 'Mark', his wand was being jabbed forward with an added twist as the tip glowed aqua.
'A simple gouging charm at the floor at my feet,' thought Harry.
He blocked it with a Protego.
But Nott then didn't wait for Harry to cast back. He just kept casting, one after another. Each getting more vicious.
Harry mentally smirked to himself and cast back annoying jinxes and the like. His plan was simple. Enrage the boy enough he'll leave an opening Harry could exploit. And Nott was burning through magical energy like it was all going to be taken away from him within the next five minutes and wanted to use it all up before it was.
As Nott began to slow down a little after his first dozen casts, Harry started to push more and more onto the offensive. It kept the amount of magical power he was using low enough Nott thought he could simply spell swat it all aside. That was what he wanted the other boy to assume.
Then Harry started into the spell chains; ones he'd come up with, mixed in with short already known ones.
He could see the anger steadily more and more marring his opponent's face.
Seeing an opening in the middle of a chain, he broke out of it and cast the colour-changing charm at the boy's hair, turning it pink; then hit his wand with a minor illusion, making it look like a muggle little girl's fairy princess's wand with a big silver star on the tip
Nott snarled in rage and returned to an almost full on offensive. And his curses became even darker in nature. Some of those, he knew were fatal if they connected; an organ expelling curse, an organ rotting curse, a withering curse and one that turned your blood into acid, for example.
Out of the corner of his eye, Harry could see the glare directed at Nott by Robards. It also looked like Robards was quickly going to determine he would need to step onto the piste and halt the duel.
Throughout it all, Harry had dodged, shielded and spell-swatted it all. Only one spell, so far, had touched him. He'd taken a clip to the wand-hand from a cutting Curse and blood was dripping to the floor from his hand. However, the same could not be said for Nott. His robes were cut through, he was bleeding in a few places, his front top teeth were about two inches long - from an accurately cast Densaugeo - and Harry could tell he was hurting from what he thought were badly bruised and or broken bones in his chest, off arm and 'wand' leg. And that did not include the prank hexes he'd landed on the boy. Nott's casts were becoming less accurate and his wand movements far less refined.
That's when Harry did something only Nott, Daphne and Hermione, of those present, had seen him do before. He cast a Protego shielding charm off the tip of his wand and charged forward.
Nott;'s eyes widened for the moment, as Harry charged forward, before the ends of the eyes pinched. Then he cast one of those dark curses that bore straight through a shielding charm, using the shielding charm to empower it further.
Harry watched it cast and coming, dropped his shield at the last moment while simultaneously jinking to his right a pace and continued to charge forward while casting.
This time he didn't hold back and put full power into the cast. His bludgeoner hit the boy in the wand arm, clearly snapping one or more bones, before his follow-up double stinging hexes stop the other boy trying to hit him with another curse.
By then, Harry was on him.
As this was a 'public' spectacle, he didn't kick the boy in the twins again. He simply tagged the boy with a left cross to the chin.
Nott spun about and his wand went flying out of his hand, dropping to the floor just before he did, landing on his back.
Harry stood over him for a second time with his wand tip glowing, pointing at him right between the eyes.
"Yield!" he demanded.
Nott glared back and snapped, "Get fucked!"
"Very well," said Harry and raised his wand with his elbow cocked.
"HALT!" bellowed Robards.
Harry immediately stopped and lowered his wand again, but didn't reholster it.
"The winner, by clear margin, is Lord Harrison Potter!" called Robards.
Over the resultant din of yelling and applause, Harry glared back at the hate-filled face of Nott and firmly declared, "As per the terms of the duel; I, Lord Harrison James Potter, Lord of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Potter..."
Knowing something momentous was happening, the spectators all immediately quietened down as if someone had tossed a bucket of water over them.
"... One of the Seven, under Section 42 of the Act of Ennoblement, hereby strip the House of Nott of its noble title and Seat upon the Wizengamot! As I say, as per the law, so must it be so!"
Without waiting for Nott to say a thing back, as he wasn't interested in anything his opponent would say, Harry spun about and began to stalk back up the piste. His experience with Dumbledore using blood trackers on him had him wary of leaving any of his blood anywhere. He felt the near desperate need to vanish what drops had dropped from his hand from the cutting curse.
"BAASTAAARD!" screamed Nott.
Harry ignored him and kept walking away.
"Mister Nott!" barked Robards. Then, "DOWN!"
Harry had only just started to drop to the floor, knowing what that snap-called 'Down' meant, when he was hit low in the back with a curse.
The effect of it hitting him, caused him to spin, right shoulder forward, faster than he was at the time. Not wanting to land on his face as he'd not be able to protect himself from a follow-up attack, he made sure to spin the full 'one-eighty' to land on his back.
Gritting his teeth to ignore the pain of the hit - it must have found a gap in the armour on his back to hurt that much - he crashed to the floor on his back, already raising his wand. Again, he ignored the pain caused by the jarring impact.
Cocking his neck forward and looking back between his crooked up knees he saw Nott charging him back. His wand was raised up high and began to glow that evil green, the same green as his, Harry's, eyes.
"Av-a-da!" Nott was snarling out, halfway through the incantation of the Killing Curse as he ran forward.
Robards was quickly stepping through the ward and onto the platform of the piste with his wand raised, but Harry knew he'd be too late.
Harry then didn't hesitate. With the boy charging forward as his wand was coming slashing down, he raised his own to point back between his knees, gripping it with both hands in the process, snap-aimed down the shaft and silently point-cast right back. Mentally, he simply thought, 'Bang!' to launch the charm. It was his 'need-it-right-now' curse and the one he religiously cast over and over, practice after practice, when he wasn't accompanied, even by Hermione - the Percutio piercing curse.
"KE-DAV―!" Nott managed to get out before Harry's piercing curse hit slightly low of right where he'd aimed, the middle of the boy's forehead and right between his eyes. Almost distractedly, Harry realised he'd not accounted for the low angle of the cast with Nott's charge forward, so hit an inch lower than planned.
Not having even a rudimentary shield in place, the curse snapped Nott's head back on impact. Then, with the head snapping back as the body continued to move forward, the legs just stopped, acted as a drag and the body almost catapulted forward as if tripped to land face down on the floor. It bounced a little, just the once, only five feet from Harry's feet; cocked slightly onto the right side. And didn't move.
Knowing he'd killed him and knowing he'd really had no choice, Harry let out the breath he was holding as he lowered his wand to his side and the back of his head back to the floor. "Oww..!" The impact of the curse to the back was now letting its presence known with pain.
Then, as Harry felt quite nauseous, things went black.
The last thing he'd heard as he'd passed out was multiple female screaming and other shouts of shock, fear and outrage.
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―==(oIo)==―
ˇ
Coming back awake, he did so sluggishly.
Harry found himself, yet again, waking up in a hospital or infirmary bed. And yet again his loves were sitting in chairs watching over him. However, he didn't know that second part until after he'd unwillingly groaned.
"Harry!?" he heard Hermione cry.
"Easy, Hermione," he then heard Daphne say. "Let him come around, first."
Blinking open his eyes and licking his lips he felt a straw poked at his lips and quickly captured it. And managed to take a couple of quick draws of the chilled water before it was taken away again.
"Not too much," he heard a strange female voice say.
Finally managing to get some focus into his eyes he could see it was a medi-witch who'd offered him the water. And must have been the one who'd told him 'not too much'.
Looking to the other side he saw Hermione and Daphne standing side-by-side and felt both their hands holding that one of his own.
"How... long... was―" he managed before he was interrupted.
"We're you out?" asked Daphne. "Almost four hours."
Hermione, still sniffling from obviously crying, said, "Nott hit you with a dark organ liquefying curse in the back just above your right kidney. It found a gap between the plates of dragon hide armour. Luckily, not directly."
Daphne added, "The Captain of the Piste, Master Auror Robards, had immediately recognised it from the cast as it flew through the air and the on-site healers had to quickly put you into medical stasis.
"They had to bring you here to get the curse cancelled before they could start repairing the damage it did. Thankfully, they were able to stop it before the damage became irreversible."
Harry thought about things for a long moment before he quietly said, "I... killed him... didn't I."
"Yes," replied Daphne. "However, you are not in trouble for it. Master Robards has already returned a finding of self defence, both for Nott casting the organ liquefying curse and the fact he was in the middle of casting the Killing curse at you. Plus, just for the dark curse in the back after the duel was concluded meant he was bound for the Veil, anyway. You saved him the parchmentwork and the Wizengamot the trial.
"Oh, he also said I was to tell you that he congratulates you on the perfect shot of a piercing curse, both for its accuracy and your speed. Then he asked if that's your... 'Need it right now' cast."
"We didn't know so we couldn't tell him," added Hermione.
"Tell him, thank you and yes, if you see him again before I do," he said. His voice was coming back again, along with his cognisance. "How long am I likely to be laid up here; and where is 'here', anyway?"
"In reverse order," said Hermione, "'Here' is a private room off the Spell Damage ward in Saint Mungo's; you warrant a private room just for being One of the Seven. And how long, we don't know yet. Your Healer will be back any minute now."
"That's why you need to rest up for a while, Pup."
That was Sirius. Harry hadn't even realised there were others in the room.
"Sirius?" he asked.
Then Harry heard two sets of footprints walking across the tiled linoleum floor towards him. The second set sounded distinctly female.
"Someone sit me up a little," he demanded.
The medi-witch, still there, quickly did just that.
Even before she had finished, Harry saw that Sirius and Narcissa were now standing at the foot of the bed, looking over it and towards him.
"Why'd you hang back?" he asked.
"To give your ladies the first couple of minutes with you, cousin Harrison," said Narcissa.
"Why―?" he began before it immediately occurred to him. At the moment, probably only family were allowed to visit. "Ah!"
"Then thank you for the courtesy, cousin Cissy, godfather," he returned.
When the healer turned up ten minutes later and put Harry through a series of tests with wand scans, he said he could leave, but only if it was directly into Medi-wizard Robinson's care in the Hogwarts Infirmary.
Harry hadn't even realised he was pouting about that until the healer smirked and said, "Sorry. Pouting at me won't work."
Both Harry's ladies told the healer they'd make sure he'd be in the Infirmary as soon as they got back, but made no promises about medi-wizard Robinson being successful in keeping him in a bed.
The healer smirked again and said, "Don't worry about it. Robinson has his ways, I assure you."
When the healer left, Harry was about to swing his legs out of the bed to get up when Hermione firmly said, "Don't move, Buster!"
Confused, he asked, "Then how am I going to get to the Hogwarts Infirmary?"
She just cast one of his 'I've-figured-out-something-you-haven't' careful grins at him and called, "Dobby!"
Harry's expression turned pinched and he groaned in self-chastisement as Dobby popped in. Why hadn't he thought of that?
"Yes, Mistress Hermione?"
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―==(oIo)==―
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Neville had returned to Hogwarts to inform the others what had happened while the lunch break was still on and found he hadn't had to. Apparently, it was already broadcast over the WWN and CeeCee had a wizarding wireless. She also wasn't the only one.
As soon as he walked in still wearing his own duelling robes, as a good Second should, the Hall went even more silent than it did when Harry used to walk in. Then, when he sat, CeeCee barely even allowed him time to grab a plate before she quietly demanded, "How is he? Is he going to be alright?"
"CeeCee," Justin firmly said in warning.
The girl ignored him as she stared fixedly on Neville's face, looking for a hint of expression that would tell her one way or another.
As he began to build a lunch, he saw her expression - and the fact she looked ready to burst into tears - and decided to get at least that out of the way.
"He will be alright," he said, right from the start so there was no confusion. "After Harry won... quite resoundingly, I must say... he stood over Nott and enacted Section 42 of the Ennoblement Act. He stripped the House of Nott of its noble title, sending it back to being just an Ancient House."
"We heard all that on the wireless," said Hannah.
He gave a nod and said, "He then began to walk back up the piste and started vanishing droplets of his blood off the floor―"
"Good idea," said Susan.
He continued to step the ladies through what else had happened, including him giving a quick statement to an auror as Harry's 'Second', Harry's witness just for these sort of events. The auror was brought in from outside the chamber and was not, therefore, herself a witness; as was proper.
Clarifying, Tracey asked, "So, the last you saw of him he was in medi-stasis, being attended by two healers and was portkeyed direct to Saint Mungo's casualty section."
"Yes," he replied.
"What of Hermione and Daphne?" she asked.
"Sirius and Narcissa, as far as I'm aware, took them to Mungo's about two minutes later," he replied. "I couldn't go because I had to stay back to provide my Second's statement."
Susan said, "If he was being attended by two medi-healers at the time, and they'd put him in medi-stasis to take him to Mungo's, then I think he's going to be alright."
Neville nodded, "Dad told me the Organ Liquefying curse has a counter, but it's a very specific and tricky thing - which is why the curse is considered dark. They'll have details of it at Mungo's and their cursebreakers will know how to deal with it, though. It's what they do."
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―==(oIo)==―
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After Dobby was first sent to medi-wizard Robinson with a note, he was back within two minutes.
The note informed the man Harry would be 'elf-apparated' into the Hogwarts Infirmary in about five minutes time, he was under healer's orders to be under medi-wizard Robinson's direct care until medi-wizard Robinson decided he could leave the wing. And asked the medi-wizard to tell Dobby which bed to put him on.
The note that Dobby brought back said, 'Understood. Put him in the same bed as last time, but please give me ten minutes before he arrives. Thank you. MW PR'
After reading it, as it was meant for her, Hermione checked her watch and said, "Of course; he'll be in the Great Hall for lunch." Offering the note to Daphne, she explained, "He's asked for a short delay before Dobby brings him."
Giving a gentle shrug Harry said, "That's alright. You can tell me of what you know happened afterwards that you know of."
"Not much, truth to tell," she sighed. "Both of us were focussed on you."
"As were we," said Sirius. "However, I can confirm that you're not in trouble in any capacity for killing Nott."
"Yeah," he said. "But I just ended a Line, didn't I? I'm going to get pilloried in the press for that."
Narcissa gave a nod and said, "Then, first thing I do after I leave here, is go and see Edward Tonks. He will need to know so he can provide a statement on your behalf to the press."
Harry nodded and said, "Thank you. Make sure Ted refers to the House of Nott only as an Ancient House. I'd stripped the House of the noble title before he cursed me in the back."
"I'm aware," she replied. "I'll get it done. Do not concern yourself with it any further."
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―==(oIo)==―
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Ten minutes later, Harry was elf-popped to 'his' bed in the Hogwarts Infirmary. He had with him a copy of his 'patient notes'. Robinson was waiting for him.
Before Harry even opened his mouth, Robinson had plucked the patient notes out of his hand and, while opening them, said, "Lord Potter. Back in my care, I see."
Harry was about to snark back when Dobby popped in with Hermione and Daphne.
After a moment to orient themselves, Hermione said, "Sirius is coming by way of the Headmistress's floo. He's letting her know what happened. Cissy went directly to Ted's office."
"I'll go to the apartment to change and be there to let the others know you're here," said Daphne, before she turned away and walked out of the room.
They'd planned that before he was brought over. She'd also be collecting CeeCee from her class at the end of sixth period, if she wasn't already out.
"Organ Liquefying curse," said Robinson, reading the notes. "Nasty."
Then he stepped back forward and cast a few charms over Harry, checking him over. "That's all been fixed. However, you need bed rest for at least today and through to tomorrow to let your body adjust to the regrown organic matter and in case there are any complications.
"Make yourself comfortable," he smiled. "You're with me until at least lunch time tomorrow; possibly, longer." Then he excused himself and left them alone to talk.
"Damn!" Harry suddenly and firmly stated. "Hermione, you'll need to HEED a letter to Fleur to let her know I'm alright. She must be worried."
"Already done," she replied. "We did that as soon as we knew you were going to be alright."
"Thank you," he nodded.
_‗_
―==(oIo)==―
ˇ
CeeCee was the first one in to see him as she didn't have a seventh period. She had Fawkes on her shoulder and he was softly singing to her. He'd obviously felt her distress.
As soon as she approached the bed, she tried to glare at him and said, "You got hurt." It even sounded accusatory.
"I did," he agreed. "However, even with the attack in the back from a decidedly deadly dark curse, as you can see I'm alright. They're used to people getting hurt in duels, CeeCee. That's why they have at least two Healers always attend them."
She gave a quick glance to Fawkes before she asked, "Can Fawkes help?"
"It's fine, thank you," he smiled. "Because they had to regrow a few things, I just have to rest up for a while. Everything's already back where it should be."
Turning to Hermione, he asked, "Have you had lunch?"
She frowned back and replied, "I had more important things on my mind."
"Then how about," he began to suggest, "Since CeeCee's now here to keep me company, you go up to the apartment, have Dobby prepare you something to eat to tide you over until dinner and change into something more comfortable - and tell Daphne to do the same."
It looked like Hermione was about to disagree until she, as she promised she would when she heard something and didn't like it, thought it through. Then she gave an annoyed sigh and said, "Alright. I'll do that."
Then she looked to CeeCee and said, "See if you keep him out of trouble, would you?"
CeeCee grinned back and said, "I'll try."
"That's all I can ask," she wryly smirked back.
Then she leaned over and lightly kissed Harry on the forehead before she spun away and hurried out the door. "Back soon!" she called over her shoulder on the way out.
When she walked out, CeeCee turned to Harry and said, "The radio and Neville said that Nott boy cursed you in the back with a dark curse."
She again sounded a little accusatory.
"He did," he nodded. "I did something stupid and turned my back on him after I thought he was already dealt with. That was stupid of me. I'm sorry I worried you."
To get her mind off it, he asked, "How go your classes?"
That had her eyes light up.
_‗_
―==(oIo)==―
ˇ
Less than twenty minutes after the seventh period let out of class, the other 'student' Heirs all came into the Infirmary. Daphne and Hermione were with them and both had changed, as had Neville.
The first thing asked, of course, was, "Are you alright?" It was Susan who'd managed to get the question in first.
"Yes, of course," he replied. "CeeCee, here, tells me you all heard what happened on the wireless; at least, up to when I was portkeyed away under medi-stasis."
"Yes," replied Susan.
"What do you know of what happened after that?" he asked.
"Not much," she replied. "Hermione and Daphne have told us a bit, but..."
"Well, I'll let those two tell you what happened after that and up to when I woke up about an hour ago," he said. "While we wait for them to sort out which of them will tell what, how about a couple of you organise chairs for everyone."
Once everyone was comfortable, they chose to sit on the 'facing' edges of the beds either side rather than find chairs that were too low to sit on and converse with him anyway, Hermione and Daphne glanced at one another before Hermione began to speak.
Once the girls covered the important parts and until Harry woke, he then aided them in telling the rest.
"So, you're here until lunch time tomorrow at the earliest," said Susan.
"You'll need a copy of class notes for those you missed," said Neville. "I'll organise those for the three of you for today. I think, between us, we'll have all the classes covered."
"Except Ancient Runes," said Daphne. "I'll organise a copy of the notes and the details of any assignments from a classmate in Ravenclaw, later."
"And I'll organise them for those classes tomorrow," Hermione smoothly added. Looking to Neville she said, "For today we'll need Potions and DADA."
He nodded back.
_‗_
―==(oIo)==―
ˇ
Robinson tossed all Harry's 'guests' out a short while later with orders to go to dinner and eat. Fleur had only managed to be in the room for about ten minutes when he did so, too.
As soon as they were out the door he organised a special meal for Harry. It was mainly a vegetable stew with hot crusty pre-buttered bread on the side.
"Some of those organs damaged mean we're going to need to be careful what you eat for the next day," explained Robinson. "It's just a precaution, for now."
Harry quietly replied, Thank you." And picked up his spoon in one hand and a hunk of bread in the other.
He was unsurprised to find it tasty. However, this was more about getting nutritious food into his stomach; because those potions that had been poured down his throat while he was unconscious had significantly depleted his stores of magic and body fat.
Then, after dinner, his three ladies returned. Hermione was carrying class notes for the Ancient Runes class.
Before he even had a chance to ask, she explained, "Su Li in Ravenclaw was more than happy to give me a copy of the notes she took in the Ancient Runes class. A sixth year sitting nearby then cast the copying charm three times on the notes, so we now all have a copy."
"I hope you thanked them both, most profusely," he said.
"Of course," she grinned.
They spent the early part of the evening going over the notes and making a start on tackling the assignment. As always, Fleur helped all three of them.
However, it was still about an hour before 'first' curfew at 9.00pm when Robinson kicked them out again.
"You cannot tell me you are not bone tired, Lord Potter," he declared. "The depletion of that much of your magic, together with the... vigorous... day you've just had, tells me from experience you'll be asleep within moments of me extinguishing the lamps."
Harry just nodded, as he knew the man was right.
When the lamps were then extinguished and Robinson returned to his office, it might not have been moments afterwards before Harry fell asleep; but it was definitely within two minutes.
Mind you, he'd spent that two minutes mentally berating himself for turning his back on Nott. He'd meant it as an insult, but Nott had capitalised on it. He'd not make that same mistake again.
_‗_
―==(oIo)==―
ˇ
The next morning's lead stories in the Daily Prophet were, of course, the Honour Duel and the fallout from it.
Harry was able to read it after a somewhat bland omelette with a fruit juice 'chaser' on the side, drunk to help wash down yet more potions.
Reading through it, he was pleased to see his duel with Nott was favourably reported. It even had quotes from both Frank and Sirius, obviously made just before the duel, for both and an extra one from Frank given after the duel.
Plus, it included quotes taken from what had to have been the press release Ted had written up, which Harry was made aware of via a HEED note from Ted during his lonesome dinner.
The main photo was taken of the duel when it was nearing the end, as it showed Harry in firm control, calm and collected; while it showed Nott displaying injuries and appeared to be almost panicking. A second photo was of Nott scrambling to his feet as Harry walked away from him, scooping up his wand and casting the organ liquefying curse at his back. However, it stopped and restarted right as Harry crashed to the floor on his back. A note directly below it stated that for 'reader sensitivities' they did not show Harry casting the piercing charm back a bare moment later, which killed the young man.
A second article then went into Harry being rushed from the piste under medical stasis accompanied by the two duty healers who attended such events as a matter of policy. And that he was now recovering from his injuries back at Hogwarts.
A third article put forward that the journalist believed sanctioned duels, no matter the reason, involving someone who was the last remaining member of a recognised House should be made illegal; let alone when both were such and let alone when they involved noble Lines. Harry hated it, but he had to admit to at least himself he believed the man to be right. It made him a little grouchy for a while.
A fourth article, a definite opinion piece and stated as such, had the journalist write they believed the DMLE should investigate whether Harry had used the 'excuse' of an Honour Duel as a method by which to 'lawfully' commit homicide while also ending the Line of a Noble House. Then went into details wondering 'which currently unennobled House, having shown open support for him in the past, would be put forward to take the now extinct Nott Seat'.
He scowled at the paper and muttered, "Bastard."
However, he knew he really couldn't do anything about it as the piece was very clearly written as an 'opinion' piece covering the views of the journalist, only - and he was right.
_‗_
―==(oIo)==―
ˇ
He then received a quick visit from Daphne and Hermione, who were just checking up on him. With Hermione telling him Fleur passed on her love for him and apologised for not coming and seeing him herself before heading to work.
Harry just brushed the apology off. "She didn't need to," he said.
Then, just before the girls left to attend class - Transfiguration for Hermione and Charms for Daphne - Madam Bones dropped in with her two auror bodyguards.
"Ah! Ameeeelia, my dear!" he exclaimed in his Dumbledore impersonation. "What brings you here, this wonderful day?" Then pointed with his off hand index finger at his eyes and said, "Twinkle, twinkle, twinkle."
She'd suddenly stopped in shock in the middle of his first sentence and, when he'd finished and grinned at her, her lip gave that slight flicker indicating she was amused when she was trying to be stern.
She turned to Robinson and clearly asked, "Alright. What potion have you got him on, which is making him act... stupid?"
Robinson grinned back and said, "Oh, this is all him. I assure you."
"Hey-ey!" Harry mock-whined.
She turned back to him and walked closer. "Time for serious business, Lord Potter. I only need to ask you are couple of questions relating to Nott's death and I can be out of your hair," she said. "Or, get you out of mine."
With a sigh and mock pout, he said, "Alright. Cast away."
She gave a single nod and said, "Why did you choose to cast the Percutio spell at Nott, when he charged you?"
"It's my 'Need-it-right-now' charm," he replied. "It's one of the very few spells I've mastered I can both point-cast and cast incantless. And the only one I can cast offensively.
"I'm working on doing that with the stunner, too, but I'm not there yet."
"Impressive," she nodded. "Simultaneous silent and point-casting at your age is very rare. It's even a rare skill for adults whose magic has fully-developed."
"Thank you," he said.
"Was it your intent to kill him?" she asked.
"I... really don't know," he honestly replied. "When I've practiced snap-casting that one I aim directly for what I'm looking at, at the time.
"I was looking him right between the eyes as he was charging me, so..." And shrugged.
"So the cast went right where you were looking at," she nodded.
"Maybe, if I'd had the time to think a moment on it, I'd have aimed for a less likely fatal target on his anatomy. However, he'd already reached the... fourth of the six syllables of the Killing curse and I knew I didn't have the time to muck about.
"When I think back on it, he had just started the final syllable when my piercer hit him. A quarter-second slower in my reaction times and I wouldn't have been in time."
"And that's all I need," she firmly said. "I confirm Master Auror Robard's determination it was in self defence and inform you no charges will be laid against you for this matter."
"Thank you," he sighed.
Then her body posture slightly shifted, which was her way of mentally shifting from or to her Head of the DMLE persona.
"Alright, Harry," she more softly said. "How're you feeling, emotionally."
He thought about it for a moment and said, "I don't know, really. Emotions and me, we have this sort of... détente. I try not to precipitously act on them and they try not to drive me into situations it's best I not be in."
She gave him a gentle smirk and said, "Harry, while you might not be feeling it now, you killed a person yesterday. While you feel he might have richly deserved it... and that you did it in self defence... it's still a difficult event to overcome for the best of us.
"When this happens for one of my aurors, it's mandatory for them to attend counselling sessions with a mind-healer. I think that's something you should do, too."
Harry thought about it for a long moment before he gave a shrug and said, "If you think it best."
"I do," she immediately returned. "Thank you for not fighting me on this."
"Meh," he muttered.
With a smile she turned a suddenly shifting to serious expression on Robinson and said, "Organise it, would you?"
With a grave expression of his own, he nodded and said, "Will do. I, too, think it's a good idea."
She gave him a nod and turned back to Harry. She firmly said, "Take these sessions seriously, Harry. They're important."
"Yes, Ma'am," he sighed. He knew an order when he heard one.
"Now," she said, a little more firmly and 'redonning' her Director of the DMLE persona in the process. "I have a murder to investigate, so I need to head into work."
He frowned and said, "I thought Nott's death was not ruled a murder?"
"This isn't about Nott," she said. "This is... someone else. I can't discuss it now, though."
He gave her a careful nod and said, "Fair enough. Stay safe."
She gave him a light smile, patted him on his shoulder twice and silently left again, her auror shadows silently following her out.
_‗_
―==(oIo)==―
ˇ