I've got several Midterms throughout next week, so I don't expect to get any writing done. I'll try my best, but don't expect any chapters next week.
(Word Count: 1,594)
The next few days passed without anything exceptional happening. Harry took the opportunity to run some simple tests with determining natures and alchemical transmutation. For determining the effects of natures, Harry tried transmuting a piece of coal into a mug, and enhanced the heated nature of it. Then, he placed a self-heating charm on it. Now, with the nature of the mug matching the spell placed on it, the mug could maintain a specific temperature of hot drinks indefinitely.
At least, that's the idea behind lasting enchantments. When the natures match up with the charms, they support each other. It's why non-alchemists use the hair and other bits of magical creatures for magical items.
For the mug, he would have to see over the course of the next year or two to see how well the charms are holding up. Though Harry was sure things would match up.
Harry placed a few more charms, such as the unbreakable charm, a forever-full charm, and a never-spill charm. He had to look up the last two. He left it empty for now and set it aside. It would make for a nice present for Remus, who loved drinking hot chocolate. 'Hmmm… actually, I should make another one for myself.'
At the end of the week, on the first of July, Professor Flitwick came over for their first day of training to prepare for the dueling tournament.
"Good morning, Professor!" Harry greeted him. "Come in!"
"Hello, Harry!" Flitwick said cheerfully as he entered the house. His excitement was obvious as he practically bounced on his feet with a wide grin. "I hope you're ready, our training will be different than usual!"
"Ready as ever!" Harry said. "We have a room expanded to be our own training room. It's upstairs."
"Is that Professor Flitwick?" Sirius' voice called out from upstairs.
"Yeah! He's arrived!" Harry called up.
Sirius thudded down the stairs, a book tucked under his arm. He had been trying to read up some more. Given how driven Harry was in his own studies, he would be left behind in only a year or two. Sirius had his pride, he didn't want to be outclassed before his godson even graduated Hogwarts.
Sirius had a couple of wrackspurts buzzing around his ears. It was a sight Harry was slowly getting used to, unfortunately. Even just studying for a bit too long would bring them around. Harry took that as a sign to take a break, or to put on his new cork necklace. He tried to get Sirius and the others to wear one when he got back from the Lovegood's yesterday, but they weren't really interested.
"Oh! If it isn't Mr. Black!" Flitwick said cheerfully. "I'm glad you're doing well. I even hear you're the new Lord Black!"
Sirius scoffed. "Not willingly."
"Yes, you were more on the mischievous side. But I imagine you're a right sort better than many others in the same position!" Flitwick said, then cleared his throat. "Um, don't tell anyone I said that."
"Thank's professor," Sirius said. "Well, I'll leave you two to at it then. Don't want to get in the way!"
"It was nice seeing you again, Mr. Black. Or is it Lord Black?" Flitwick asked.
"Ugh, please! Just call me Sirius. I'm not a student anymore, and anything else makes me feel older than I already am!" Sirius said as he made his way back upstairs, having greeted the guest.
Flitwick watched him disappear upstairs before turning to Harry. "Sirius always was one of my favorite students. Him, Remus, and your mother, Lily. I'm very glad he turned out to be innocent. A bloody shame what happened to him."
Harry smiled wryly. "Thank you, Professor."
"Wotcha, Prof!" Dora's voice came with a whoosh of fire as she stepped out of the fireplace, a huge grin on her face.
"My goodness!" Flitwick exclaimed in recognition. "First Sirius and now Miss Tonks! How are you? Last I'd heard, you've joined the Auror Academy. How's that been?"
"Doing good, Professor. Kicking people's teeth in as usual," Dora said.
"Goodness!" Flitwick laughed. "Sounds like you haven't changed one bit!"
"Dora, Professor Flitwick and I were just about to have our first bit of training. Would you like to join?" Harry asked. The Auror Academy didn't start back up until tomorrow, so she hadn't left yet.
"Well, duh! That's why I came over! Like I would miss a chance to kick your butt!" Dora grinned, flicking her wand out of her holster.
"Oh, that might not be as easy as you're hoping, Miss Tonks! Harry has started to give me a run for my money," Flitwick said.
"Hey, come on now, Prof! I've been training under Moody! I reckon I can take him," Dora scoffed.
Harry narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms. Was he being made light of? He would have to show her not to underestimate him just because he's young.
Flitwick gave her an amused smile and gave Harry a knowing look. He had a better understanding of Harry's prowess and seemed to agree with Harry on this.
"Well, let's get on with it then!" Dora clapped Harry on the shoulder, tousled his hair and made her way past them up the stairs.
They made their way up to the training room. Flitwick took out his wand and transfigured a large dueling table, which spanned nearly the full length of the room. It was far narrower than the space in the charms classroom they had been practicing in before.
"Now then, Harry," Flitwick began, patting the new dueling table, "This table is fully regulation size. We'll be practicing on this. Wouldn't want you to accidentally step off the side because you weren't used to it! Trust me, it happens more often than you think!"
"Alright, then!" Harry hopped onto the table and grinned at Dora. "Dora, since you were talking big, you want to go first?"
Dora chuckled and vaulted onto the table, confidently walking backwards to keep eye contact. "I'm ready when you are, Harry!"
"Now, now, Miss Tonks! We're playing by U-15 tournament regulations! I'll be serving as the referee for this match," Flitwick said.
"Right, right, only baby charms," Dora said cockily, "I got it."
Both Harry and Dora raised their wands at the ready.
"Now, bow to your opponent," Flitwick said.
They bowed.
"On your mark, get set, begin!"
Both Harry and Dora immediately launched their spells. Neither of them bothered actually saying the incantations aloud. They were both beyond the need to verbalize their spells, much less the need to use any wand motions, for any of the standard. Ropes shot out of Dora's wand as she cast an Incarcerous spell, while Harry opted for a Stupefy.
The spells passed over each other, and Harry instinctively cast a quick Diffindo to cut the ropes flying at him. Dora was able to bat Harry's Stupefy aside.
"Point to Tonks!" Flitwick called out. "Harry, Diffindo is banned in the U-15 regulations!"
"Right. Sorry," Harry muttered. "Knee jerk reaction."
"It's alright. Better get them out now then in the tournament. Now back to starting positions!" Flitwick said.
After a point was scored, the duel was paused and reset back to the starting positions. It was so one side couldn't get completely overwhelmed and lose right away. It gave the losing side a chance to regain their footing.
"Off to a bad start, Harry!" Dora taunted. "Looks like I'll be winning afterall!"
"Don't count your eggs just yet, Dora. It won't happen again."
"On your marks, get set, begin!" Flitwick began the next round.
This time, Harry started out with a legilimantic probe, sidestepping Dora's Expeliarmus.
'Cheeky bugger, thinks he can win! After all the training I've gone through with Mad-eye? I think not! Fracto Strata!' Dora's thoughts came through Harry's probe.
"Fracto Strata!" A moment later Dora cast her spell, this time verbally. It was a fracturing spell, aimed at the table underneath Harry's feet.
'Reparo!' The instant the table broke apart, it mended back to normal, not even disrupting Harry's footing. 'Depulso!'
'Bloody—Protego!' Dora threw up a shield and the shockwave of his spell crashed against it.
Harry kept on the offensive and kept attacking. 'Ruptura! Expeliarmus! Leviosa! Incarcerous!'
The shield breaking charm shattered Dora's Protego, but she deftly evaded his spells and banished the ropes back at him.
'Serpenifors!' He transfigured the ropes into snakes. They thudded down onto the ground right at his feet.
"$Restrain her!$" He hissed in parseltongue. The snakes slithered at her.
"Vipera evanesca!"
'Expeliarmus!'
Just as Dora vanished the snakes, Harry disarmed her. Her wand jumped out of her hand and into Harry's.
'No bloody way!' Dora thought in shock. 'Did I just lose?'
Harry canceled his mental probe. Now that the duel was over, it would be rude to keep it.
"And the match goes to Harry!" Flitwick cheered.
To reiterate how to win a duel, there were three ways: land three solid hits on your opponent, forcing the opponent off the back of the stage, or disarming the opponent. So, in a way, Expeliarmus was one of the more dangerous spells in a duel, because if it hits, you instantly win.
"Oh!" Harry pretended to be surprised, "I'm sorry, is this your wand?"
"Shut it!" Dora growled, her hair turning red. "Let's go another round! I won't play around this time."
Harry tossed her wand back to her, with an ear-to-ear grin. "Ready when you are, Nym-pha-dor-a!" He drew out her name intentionally to make her even madder.
She growled.