Inside the Room of Requirement at Hogwarts, Harry and Draco stood facing each other, eyes locked, sparks practically flying between them.
Yet no matter how intense their stares were, the atmosphere stubbornly refused to become serious.
Because hanging upside down in midair between them… was Ron.
Ron was still suspended by one ankle, his mouth sealed shut. He flailed his arms wildly toward Hermione—who was curled up in Arthur's arms in cat form—desperately begging her to let him down. The scene was so ridiculous it bordered on slapstick.
No one paid him any attention.
All eyes were focused on Harry and Draco, waiting for the duel to begin.
Seeing that the moment had arrived, Arthur raised a hand and announced, "Begin."
Harry and Draco moved at the same time.
"Expelliarmus!"
"Expelliarmus!"
Twin disarming spells shot forward as both of them dodged sideways, narrowly avoiding each other's magic.
"Is that the only spell you know?" Draco sneered.
(As if—Expelliarmus was practically Harry's signature spell.)
"Oh please," Harry shot back. "You're using it too."
"Then try this!" Draco shouted, flicking his wand. "Incendio!"
Roaring flames burst from Draco's wand and surged toward Harry.
"Expecto Patronum!"
Instead of using Protego, Harry chose the Patronus Charm.
While Protego could block fire, it didn't stop the heat—and Harry had no intention of becoming roast duck.
A white barrier formed before him, halting the flames. At the same time, Harry summoned his stag Patronus, which charged straight at Draco.
Forced to break off his spell, Draco hurriedly responded.
Harry pressed the advantage, coordinating his attacks with the Patronus.
Seeing things go south, Draco cast Serpensortia, conjuring a large snake to tangle with the stag.
Unfortunately for him, he'd forgotten one crucial detail.
Harry was a Parselmouth.
Harry fixed the snake with his gaze and hissed a few strange, serpentine syllables. The snake froze—then abruptly turned around and lunged at Draco instead.
"Damn it—!"
Left with no choice, Draco summoned Hydra to help.
The Room of Requirement had expanded into a space nearly the size of two football fields—more than enough room for chaos. Draco allowed Hydra to return to her full size.
Towering three stories high, Hydra opened her jaws and unleashed dragonfire at both the Patronus and the traitorous snake.
Flames flashed.
The Patronus vanished.
The snake was reduced to charcoal.
With a powerful beat of her wings, Hydra charged Harry, slashing down with razor-sharp claws.
Seeing Draco escalate things, Harry refused to be outdone.
He called upon his ghostly mother.
In an instant, Lily possessed him.
With Lily's spirit reinforcing him, Harry's physical abilities skyrocketed. He slipped past Hydra's claws with impossible agility.
"Rictusempra!"
A burst of sparks struck Hydra. The spell should have blasted her backward, but dragon hide's natural resistance weakened its effect.
Even so, Hydra's body went slack, and she stumbled, crashing heavily to the ground.
Harry seized the moment, sprinting past Hydra straight toward Draco.
Unsure what Harry was planning, Draco hurriedly cast Protego.
Harry answered with a point-blank Confringo.
The shield shattered.
Before Draco could retaliate, Harry followed up instantly.
"Avis!"
A flock of birds erupted into existence, slamming into Draco. The spell itself didn't hurt much—but the sheer number of birds completely blocked his vision, preventing him from locking onto Harry.
By the time the birds dispersed, Harry was already right in front of him.
Harry raised his fist and threw a clean uppercut.
Draco was sent flying.
Ever since realizing how massive a boost spirit possession provided, Harry had wanted to try close combat.
(Arthur, watching: Yeah… I get that. After becoming a god, I once punched a flying dragon to death in the Lands Between.)
As Draco flew backward, Hydra recovered and roared in fury, spewing dragonfire toward Harry.
Harry hastily cast Impedimenta to slow the flames, then darted away.
Hydra closed in again, swiping relentlessly, trying to pin him down.
Harry dodged while thinking rapidly.
Then—he had an idea.
He slammed his wand toward the ground beneath Hydra.
Thick iron chains, as wide as a man's arm, burst from the floor, snaking upward to bind her limbs.
Draco, scrambling back to his feet, laughed when he saw it.
"Those thin chains? You think they can hold Hydra? Don't make me laugh."
Harry didn't answer.
He calmly followed up with another spell.
"Engorgio."
The chains swelled instantly—thick as barrels.
Their weight increased explosively, slamming Hydra back down. The chains slithered across her body, sealing her jaws shut, wrapping her completely until she looked like an oversized rice dumpling.
Harry turned back, raising an eyebrow.
"Still thin?"
"You—!"
Furious, Draco lifted his wand, trying to cast Reducio to free Hydra.
Harry didn't give him the chance.
Spell after spell flew from his wand, forcing Draco to dodge continuously. Every attempt to free Hydra was cut off.
Though Hydra couldn't help anymore, the contract rune between her and Draco remained active. As long as she was present, Draco's casting speed was still enhanced.
Relying on that advantage, Draco briefly gained the upper hand.
But it wasn't enough.
With Lily possessing him, Harry was drawing on her magic as well.
And Lily Evans had been one of Hogwarts' finest—brilliant, talented, with an immense reserve of magic.
Even with enhancement potions, Draco's magic simply couldn't compete—especially not against Lily's power layered on top of Harry's own.
In the end, Draco's magic ran dry.
The duel was over.
Harry walked back to the sidelines, grinning, with a dejected Draco trailing behind him.
"Well done," Arthur said approvingly.
To Arthur, the duel had been little more than spirited sparring—but at their level, the two of them already surpassed many Ministry Aurors.
After all, most Aurors couldn't restrain a dragon alone.
And importantly, neither Harry nor Draco had used lethal curses. This wasn't a life-or-death battle—they'd both held back.
Arthur didn't know about Harry's side, but he knew Snape had already taught Draco Sectumsempra.
A truly vicious Dark spell—wounds carved by invisible blades that wouldn't heal without a specific countercurse, capable of bleeding someone to death.
"Cheer up," Arthur said, clapping Draco on the shoulder.
"Losing means accepting it, figuring out where you fell short, and working twice as hard. This won't be your last duel with Harry. You don't want the gap to widen next time, do you?"
After praising Harry, Arthur made sure to encourage Draco as well.
They were both his friends—favoritism had no place here.
Draco's mood improved somewhat. Still, he lowered his head as he approached Snape.
"Godfather… I'm sorry. I embarrassed you."
Snape didn't scold him. Instead, he patted Draco's shoulder, much like Arthur had.
"Do better next time," Snape said calmly. "I expect a victory."
Draco looked up, eyes burning with determination, and nodded.
"Alright," Arthur said brightly. "Since the duel's done—anyone up for a late-night snack?"
Harry and Draco immediately agreed. The intense fight had drained them, and hunger had already set in.
Arthur led them toward the Hogwarts kitchens.
To his mild surprise, Snape followed along.
Then again, it made sense.
Snape was currently acting headmaster on top of teaching Potions, and with term ending, he was buried in work. Arthur had even seen him grading papers earlier that evening.
Odds were, he hadn't eaten properly either.
Hogwarts Kitchens
Arthur and the others enjoyed a late-night feast prepared by the house-elves.
Simple grilled food, paired with ice-cold butterbeer.
The alcohol content was so low it was impossible to get drunk, so neither Snape nor Lily bothered enforcing underage drinking rules.
For once, the kids were allowed to indulge freely.
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