Duel of Fate

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Premise:

Harry Potter isn't the boy that everyone thinks he is. That night when Voldemort decided to end the threat to his eternal reign, he sent Bellatrix and a small crew to go after the Potter's while he went after the threat: Neville Longbottom.

Thinking that the Potter's betrayed the Longbottoms, enmity between the forgotten Potter heir and one of the most powerful families on the Wizengamot will drive Harry and Neville to open conflict with each other, just as the Dark Lord rises again.

Of course, being a duelling prodigy will help Harry as he is thrust into a conflict that once killed his parents. His talent for the defensive arts and duelling are recognized early, and he is taken on by Master Flitwick to be his student.

A Wrong Boy-Who-Lived story with twists, teen drama, a romance or two, action, war and loss. Ravenclaw Harry. Dumbledore, Weasley, Longbottom bashing. Grey Harry. Mentor/Master Flitwick. Duelling prodigy. Final pairing may not be what it appears to start.

Rated M for a reason. There will be swearing, fighting, death, mature scenes and other content as the story goes on.

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Disclaimer: The world of Harry Potter does not belong to me. I just play in the wonderful beach that fan-fic authors are allowed to use. I do claim the plot and any original characters that show up.

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Chapter 1

01 Jan 24

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This time on Duel of Fate: The start of our story. Teens being teens, and all the drama that entails. Duelling and friendships.

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December 12, 1994

Hogwarts, Scotland

Per usual, Harry sat in a far corner of the library on a Monday afternoon. Before him was his Runes homework. After three and a half years he was used to being alone most of the time, but it wasn't that unusual for someone to join him and ask him for help.

That was why he didn't bother to look up when a girl took a seat next to him at the table. He focused on the book before him, then writing out a few lines in his notebook before asking, "Do you need help with the assignment?"

The golden hair girl next to him was rather cute. Her face and body were still a little rounded with baby fat, though that had been disappearing this year as her body started its transformation from duckling to swan. Though, he would never have called Hannah Abbot ugly to begin with. She was far from it.

He found he liked how she was wearing her hair either loose or in a single, large braid now. It made her look older than when she wore her pigtails or double braids when he had first met her.

"No. Well, yes, but that's not what I sat here for today," Hannah told him.

Harry looked up to meet her blue eyes. Her blue eyes were still as fun loving and friendly as the first day she had introduced herself, but there was something about her that seemed nervous today. "Yes and no? What do you need, Hannah?"

Hannah put her bookbag on the table. "Uhm, well, I was wondering, you know, if you'd asked anyone to the Yule Ball?"

Harry rolled his eyes.

Everyone was talking about the Yule Ball since it had been announced last week. He wasn't really that enthused about the ball, usually enjoying how quiet it was over the Christmas Break and the fact that last year Flitwick had taken him to his first international duelling tournament, and they were going to go again this year. "Not really interested."

Hannah's eyes widened. "What do you mean you aren't interested?"

"Not interested. I'm getting ready for my next tournament and really don't want the distraction. Once I get done with this, I'm supposed to meet with Sue Li at three," he told her.

"Oh," Hannah said, looking a little crestfallen. "Alright. Well, if you aren't that interested, would you mind going with someone just as a friend that night?"

Harry raised an eyebrow. He really didn't care about the Yule Ball, but the sudden thought of going with Hannah, one of the few people to treat him as a friend, suddenly had some merit. "With you?"

Hannah's face turned a little red. She squeaked when she spoke. "Yes... I mean no. Justin asked me the other day," she said. Harry's sudden interest dropped significantly.

"Oh," Harry replied.

Hannah gave him a curious look. "Would you go with me?"

Harry shrugged, already pushing down the unexpected attraction he had felt for the girl. "As a friend," he told her.

Her eyes dimmed a little. "Oh. Well, then, Megan wants to go, but no one has asked her yet and I was wondering if you would go with her?"

Harry gave her a questioning look. "Megan Jones? Isn't she obsessed with quidditch and that's about all she talks about."

"Well, yeah, but she is nice... and pretty," Hannah told him.

"I guess," he said. Megan wasn't bad looking. She was a nice brunette, but for some reason Harry found himself more attracted to blondes.

"You guess? What's wrong with Megan?" she asked, a slight challenge to her voice. Hannah was the quintessential Hufflepuff. She always defended her friends and was extremely loyal to anyone she considered close. Some days Harry wondered how he had seemed to earn that status, since he had caught Hannah sticking up for him to Longbottom and Weasley the other week.

"Nothing is wrong with Megan. I just don't like quidditch," he told her.

"And you don't think she's pretty?" Hannah put to him.

"She is," Harry admitted half-heartedly.

"But?"

Harry didn't look away from Hannah. "I don't know. Just not that into brunettes. I'm sure if I liked her, it wouldn't matter, but, you know," he told her, not wanting to say he was into girls that looked like Hannah.

Hannah's brow rose. "I never knew you had a type?"

Harry shrugged. Truth be told, he hadn't really looked at girls that way until recently. Being fourteen now, he found himself dreaming of certain girls as his own body changed... Hannah's changes making prominent appearances in some of his new fantasies the last few months. "I don't know if I do or not, but if you look at just physical characteristics, then I'm not really attracted to dark or brown hair."

Hannah eyed him for a moment before snorting. "You are such a Ravenclaw. Do you analyse everything? Don't you just let yourself feel what you want?"

"I feel that I am not physically attracted to any brunettes or darker hair girls right now," he told her, a slight smile playing on his face. The blue and silver necktie he had on didn't hide the fact he was a Ravenclaw.

"And what type of girls do you find attractive?" Hannah put to him. Her voice sounded hopeful?

"That is a little personal, isn't it?" he asked, trying to deflect the question.

"Come off it. You said you don't like brunettes and those with black hair. What do you like? Is it just their hair? Do you like girls that are lean or plump? Don't tell me you are one that wants a girl with a rack the size of melons?" Hannah said, a little disgust in her voice.

"I don't know, I just know that I seem to be more attracted to redheads and blondes. Why would it matter if a girl has breasts the size of melons? Wouldn't her personality be more important? I couldn't imagine being with someone that isn't smart or a good person to talk to," he told her. Hannah wasn't the largest girl in their year, but she was developing a decent sized rack.

"Some boys seem to only stare at my chest. Susan hates it. She's already huge and gets leered at by many of the upper years. She doesn't like it and I don't either," Hannah told him.

Luckily Harry only took peaks at them all when he thought they weren't looking. "It's not just your chest that is nice," Harry said before he could catch himself. Hannah quirked an eye at him, and he felt his neck heat some.

As annoyed as she had been a moment ago, she seemed to find his reaction a little funny. "Are you saying you've looked me up and down?"

Harry rubbed the back of his neck. "I am a boy. You are cute. Aren't I supposed to look at girls?"

"I'm cute?" Hannah asked. Harry felt like she had just lobbed a hand grenade at him. No matter how he answered this question, he felt he would be hit.

"Uhm, yeah. Well, really pretty. Susan is too. As is Mandy Brocklehurst and Daphne Greengrass," Harry told her, hoping he wouldn't get slapped.

Hannah snorted. "You really do have a thing for redheads and blondes. What about Megan? I heard Michael Corner say 'she has all the right curves'."

Harry shrugged. He had never really paid attention to Megan Jones before. "Not sure."

Hannah shook her head. "Well, if you will go with Megan, I'll tell Justin I'll go with him." She didn't seem that happy with it.

"Ah, sure. Just as friends," Harry said. He found himself surprised that he was disappointed that he wouldn't be going with Hannah, but if she wanted someone that wasn't 'just a friend', then Harry couldn't blame her. Though, he wasn't sure he wanted to be 'just friends' with Hannah going forward. "I guess this gives me a reason to use the dress robes they required us to buy this year."

"Oh, and one more thing," Hannah said.

"You ready to get to work?" Harry asked her. As good as he was being alone, he found he liked Hannah's company, and most of her friends, when they sat with him.

"I need the help, but I can't right now. I need you to ask Megan," Hannah told him.

Harry scoffed. "You rope me into going with her and then you want me to ask her too?"

Hannah gave him a bright smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. It was unusual. Hannah wasn't one to hide her emotions well, and she was always such a happy person. "You are the boy. I'll tell her you are going to ask."

"Well, that takes the edge off that," he said wryly.

Hannah giggled. "Thought you'd see it my way."

She got up, taking her bag. She was only wearing her blouse and skirt, allowing Harry to follow her slightly swaying behind as she walked away. It didn't help that the strap of the bag pulled her shirt tight over her bust. She turned her head with a cheeky smile just before turning down a stack of books. Harry felt a little embarrassed to be caught ogling her after she said how she didn't like it, but she didn't seem bothered. More amused than anything.

With a shake of his head, Harry turned back to his books. It was only a few minutes before he was disturbed again. It was getting close to one-thirty now.

"Granger," Harry greeted as he scribbled in his notebook. He always worked his revision and homework out in notebooks before transcribing to the parchment.

"Potter," she said. She had sat across from him and took out her books and parchment. "I thought I saw Hannah. Did you chase her away?"

He snorted. "Contrary to popular belief, I actually do have some that are friendly to me, and I actually enjoy their company. She said she had something else to do this afternoon."

Hermione shook her head. "You know I don't feel the same way as Neville and Ron?"

Harry shrugged. "I really don't care. Longbottom has made it truly clear how he feels for me and my family, not that I have any, and Weasley just goes along with him. If you weren't such a good study partner, I wouldn't be around you either."

He didn't look up, instead tracing his finger over a passage in the book he had found.

Hermione frowned. "Neville doesn't hate you," she said.

Harry huffed. "Has a really good way of showing he cares. By the way, has he recovered from DADA last week?"

Harry couldn't keep a small smirk coming to his face at the way he had levelled the 'Boy-Who-Lived' in a duel in Defence Against the Dark Arts. The poor sod hadn't stood a chance, and he was one of the Champions this year? Even with that, Harry felt a little bit of admiration for the boy. He may not be a duellist but could hold his own against almost anyone else in class. Then there was his knowledge of plants and transfiguration that was just about second to none in the school. Both had saved the boy from that Horntail.

Hermione huffed this time. "Did you really need to embarrass him like that? He was growing grass out of his hair all weekend and we couldn't find the counter-curse. Even Madam Pomfrey couldn't find a cure."

"I told him I would give him the counter-curse if he apologised for calling my mother a whore," Harry said bitterly.

She sighed this time. "You know he is too stubborn to admit he was wrong."

"That makes two of us," Harry said in an easy tone. Harry had lost his parents when he was fifteen months old. Just a week after Neville had lost his. Neville blamed Harry for all that for some reason and he wasn't about to take the abuse from Longbottom over it.

"Do you even know why Neville acts the way he does towards you?" Hermione asked, unstoppering her ink bottle.

"Don't know. Don't care. He's an arse to me and I just try to ignore him. As long as he leaves my parents, Hannah, Susan, Sue, Mandy, Michael and Justin alone, I'll leave him alone. If you want to keep talking about your boyfriend, I'll go find somewhere else to sit," he told her in a snarky tone.

Hermione's face flushed. "He's not my boyfriend," she said, her voice a little higher pitched than normal.

"Whatever. Did you translate number three yet? It doesn't seem to make sense. I feel it is supposed to be a blessing for crops, but it translates more like a curse," he said, taking his notebook and holding it out for her.

"I only got the first two done this morning. Can I look at it?" she asked, reaching out for his hardbound notebook. Harry let her take it as he turned back to the book he was reading. His Latin was good, but not perfect, so he wasn't sure if he was translating the runes in it appropriately.

By the time he had to leave about quarter to three, they only had one more translation to complete and agreed to meet Wednesday afternoon to finish. As much as most thought Hermione to be annoying, Harry liked her enthusiasm for learning, and she was very bright. She was actually the best competition he had when it came to Runes, Charms and Transfiguration. Though Longbottom was nipped at his heals in Transfiguration, with Sue Li close to them in Charms and about his only challenge in Defence for the practical side of things.

Even though he was a Ravenclaw, and most thought all Ravenclaws were mental about all their grades, it was actually the drive to learn and seek knowledge that defined them and not all of the house was that enthralled with getting top grades.

Harry found he really enjoyed duelling, and he really enjoyed Runes. To become a better duellist, being a crack at charms and transfiguration was a must. Defensive magics were needed to ensure you could counter your opponent when you couldn't attack. Thus, he constantly traded top grades in those three classes.

Runes was something he found remarkably interesting after finding some books in his vaults. Some were old Potter family books, others were from his mother. He wanted to understand them, since it seemed the Potters had a history of being good at Runes. It was something that helped him feel connected to a family he never knew and to feel like he had something to cling too that the orphanage just didn't supply.

To compliment his Runes, he found Arithmancy interesting. He found it quite easy to link the calculations with the runes to understand their power and how the magical theory fit between the two.

After that, he really didn't care much about his other classes. He was good at potions. Something that he had inherited from his mother. He just didn't care for the professor and found it easy, thus boring, so he did what he had to maintain the exceeds expectation that Professor Flitwick expected of him.

Herbology was only slightly interesting to understand the properties of the plants for potions, but he really didn't like taking care of them. He had already decided he would not be taking a NEWT in Herbology.

History of Magic and Astronomy were extremely boring. He didn't fall asleep in History, instead working on other homework. He traded notes with Padma for his potions notes so that he didn't need to pay attention in the class. In Astronomy, Mandy was all too happy to trade her notes, and revision at times, for Harry's Charms and Arithmancy work. He thought it a fair trade. He just barely stayed awake the nights they had to go to the Astronomy Tower at midnight, never mind having to make star charts.

Walking into the training room in the upper dungeons, Harry put his bag by the door. Sue Li was already in the room and casting spell chains at the dummies.

Sue Li was a willowy girl who was stronger than she looked. Her Asian heritage had a certain exotic quality that had many boys looking at her. Harry could admit she was good looking, but he found her a little annoying. Plus, she really didn't have many curves yet and her hair was as raven black as his. Seeing his own black hair in the mirror every day didn't attract him to girls with the same colour.

She cast him a glance, as though saying, 'You're lazy,' for showing up on time.

Harry didn't bother to say anything as he lined up on his own set of dummies and started on the standard spell chains that Flitwick had them working on. He was working on set five today. It was a series of four chains, all meant to break shields. They were a mixture of blasting hexes, drill charms and shield hammering hexes. It took some power to pull them off but would break through most shields in an easier way than dragging out a duel for minutes to break them in the traditional way.

For the next hour, the two of them silently, or mostly, worked on the forms. Once he had practiced the fifth set, he moved to the first, which was a series of six chains that focused on disarming. That meant it was a series of disarming curses, stinging and numbing hexes mixed with distraction spells like conjuring birds, rocks, fog and water.

By the time the clock bell struck four, they were both a little winded. As Flitwick required, they took a break to get something to drink.

"You were a little slow in your shield breakers," Sue told him.

"Just trying to cast them silently," he replied. She knew the concentration it took to go from verbal to non-verbal casting. They were two years ahead of almost any of their classmates in this. It wasn't required, though, with the advantage it gave you in a duelling ring at their age, it was worth pushing themselves to learn.

"You were still slow. I could have easily gotten a spell past you," she said, a certain air of superiority about her.

Harry raised an eyebrow. "Care to try?"

Her intense gaze should have unnerved him, but Harry just gave her a challenging look. "Once Professor Flitwick gets here, you are going down," she informed him with a self-assured air to her.

"Maybe," he said, drinking some of the lemonade the elves had set out on a small table for them. He was a little sweaty from his practicing, but ready to take Sue on again. Professor Flitwick wouldn't let them spar unless he or someone else he trusted was here. Well, not since they had both been admitted to the hospital wind second year when they had been a little too rough with each other. Harry didn't think three days to reverse the spells they had used had merited the tongue-lashing their master had given them.

Sue twirled her wand as she drank her own lemonade. "Feeling a little confident? What happened?"

As much as Sue and him were rivals on the duelling pitch, she would probably be the person he considered himself closest to, after Hannah. He would even call the girl his friend, but only in current company.

Harry shrugged. "Nothing."

She eyed him. "You ask anyone to the ball yet?"

"You interested?" he asked, finding it odd that every girl he had talked with today had asked him, even Granger before he had left.

Sue laughed. "In your dreams. I don't like snarky gits."

Harry laughed with her. "Good, I don't really like runts."

"Git," she shot back.

"Hag," he retorted.

"I see you two are warming up," the mirthful voice of Professor Flitwick said as he came into the room.

"Afternoon, Professor," Harry said as Sue straightened.

"Master Flitwick," she replied.

"Afternoon you two. Did you already go through the sets?"

"Yes, sir," they both said together.

The diminutive man nodded. "Right. Line up. You are to use Goobnarg today," he told them. Most wizards knew Goobnarg as Gobbledegook, which was very offensive to goblins, but most wizards either didn't know or care. Since first year, their master had been teaching them how to speak Goobnarg, and cast in the goblin tongue, to make it harder for their opponents to know what was being cast.

"Silently?" Harry asked.

Professor Flitwick shook his head. "Not today. You both need more practice in proper pronunciation. Now, bow, and begin."

"Groffna!" Sue called out. Harry dodged the blue spell that would cause his whole body to go numb.

"Ergroot!" Harry replied, the stunner leaving his wand as she wiggled her wand and exclaimed, "Rrrrunger!"Ropes shot out the tip of her wand.

Harry made a small circle with is wand tip. "Vergae!" A bluish shield came up, deflecting the ropes to the side.

It was a furious back and forth, mostly exchanging charms, hexes and curses with their counters. Neither of them was very skilled yet in transfiguration when it came to using Goobnarg, so they avoided it. That was until Flitwick stepped in. "You both know more," the man said in Goobnarg, a hard tinge to his voice. It was a side that most never saw, but it was the side that had had earned the man seven international championships and kept him on the top of the duelling standings for more than twenty years.

Sue took a stumbling step back as the man started a stream of Goobnarg. Summoned animals, rocks, dull blades and a half dozen other objects started to fly at both of them. It was only the quick reflexes that he and Sue had that kept them from being hit. Sue dodge as Harry cried out, "REXNAR!"

Part of the floor shot up as a wall sprung into existence. He didn't wait though, casting a strong shield and jumping out from behind the wall as a blasting hex turned it into dust.

"Bombarda! Glacius! Erogona!" Harry shouted, forgetting he was supposed to still be speaking the goblin language as their Master started to duel both of them. Sue and him were really good for their age, but this man made them look like simpering babes as within a half dozen spells Harry found himself disarmed, bound and gagged. Sue was upside down, her head next to his as her hands were bound to her side.

Flitwick came over to them, a serious look on his face. "What did you do wrong?"

Sue flicked her head, spitting her shoulder length hair out of her mouth. "We stopped using Goobnarg," she stated.

"Before then?"

Harry wanted to speak but couldn't. Seeing this, Flitwick flicked his wand. "Yes, Mr Potter?"

"We weren't using everything we could have," he said.

"And why is that?"

Sue looked a little down. "I struggle with transfiguration when using Goobnarg."

"You were also avoiding your shields. Moving is a good thing, but if you keep dodging and flipping as much as you are, you will tire yourself quickly. And you, Potter, a simple stone is less energy than a shield or moving more than a step," Flitwick told them. "Line up again and show me what you know."

Sue flopped to the floor with a grunt and Harry had to use the small amount of wandless casting he could to loosen the ropes. Like in a duel, their master required them to find their own way out of a mess. Harry wasn't complaining. It had Sue and him years ahead of many of their classmates when it came to practical casting and duelling.

By the time the bell chimed half past five, Harry was ready to drop. Flitwick had pushed them both hard today. He sat in the middle of the duelling platform as Sue picked herself up. They had gone three to two today, with Harry winning this last one to get the lead. Last time Sue had gotten one up on him.

"Better. Next time, be prepared to duel me. Harry, I want you to focus on your parselmouth while you focus on using Mandarin, Sue," Flitwick told them. "I want you to be fluid in how you change your styles. Don't use more than a few spells in a single language, and if you are to use non-verbal casting, it has to be in something else than Latin. You both broadcast your spells to anyone with even the basic knowledge of legillimency when you stop concentration on your occlumency."

Harry groaned. Keeping up his occlumency while in the midst of a heated duel was not easy. "Yes, Master Flitwick," Harry replied.

"I will, Master Flitwick," Sue said.

The man nodded. "We go to France on Boxing Day. It's a three day tournament, so you will be limited to ten minute rounds. I want you to end them before the bell rings every time."

Harry nodded. Most duels on a tournament circuit were not times, but as their master always said, in real life, most fights end within ninety seconds. Duels are for showing off. Only a truly skilled fighter should hold off longer than that.

He got up and walked over to Sue, handing her wand back as he held a hand out. "You good?"

"Yeah. What was that wind thing you used at the end?"

Harry grinned. "You want me to give away my secrets?"

"I want to win and that felt like a bus hitting me. It went right through my Protego shield," she told him.

"It was an air movement spell. Instead of using magic to conjure a wind or use the magic around it to propel the air, like most spells do, it directly affects the air molecules, so you are moving a physical object that was not magically created," he told her.

She sighed. "Thus, a magical shield meant to stop magic won't stop it. Can you teach me?"

"Later. I want to get a shower before dinner. I have to ask someone to the Yule Ball," he said, not sounding thrilled.

"Really? Should I get dolled up?"

Harry laughed. "I thought you said I was too much a prat. No. Hannah wants me to ask Megan Jones. No one's asked her yet."

Sue looked at him questioningly as they got their stuff and said goodnight to Professor Flitwick. "You are a prat. Is that who you want to ask? If you really need someone, I'll say yes, you know."

Harry gave Sue a smile. "I wasn't really planning on going, and do you really want to go with me? I thought you couldn't stand to be around me?"

Sue shrugged. "There are worse options."

Harry laughed at her. "I'll take my chances with Jones."

"Suit yourself. Maybe Zabini will be looking for a date still," she commented.

"You like him?"

"He's handsome. Davis says he's a good kisser," she told him.

"I also hear he likes to look at Nott," Harry told her.

"So, he's bi or trying to hide he's gay. Big deal," she commented. "As long as it's not Malfoy and his trolls, I'm good."

Harry shrugged this time. "Whatever catches your fancy," he said as they went up the stairs to the raven head.

"I still don't get Jones. Don't you like Abbott or Greengrass? I thought you like that whole dumb blonde thing?" she asked cheekily.

"They aren't dumb, and Greengrass would never give me the time of day. I'm not rich enough," Harry told her.

Sue snorted. "If that is her standard then there aren't many she can choose from. I hope she likes people like Malfoy."

Harry chuckled. "I think she likes gits like Longbottom. She was eyeing him in class the other day."

Sue made a face. "Longbottom is a bloody arse. And I thought Granger and him?"

Harry snorted. "You are telling me. I'd still like to know how he cheated the cup to enter the tournament. Hermione swears they are not dating."

"Bloody hell they aren't. Why are you still on about Longbottom being in the tournament? I thought you said you didn't want to be in the tournament?" she asked.

"Hardly, but it would have been entertaining to let the Weasley twins know. They tried three times," Harry told her.

They stopped before the raven head. "My voice is tender, my waist is slender and I'm often invited to play. Yet, wherever I go I must take my bow or else I have nothing to say. What am I?" it asked.

They both looked at each other as though challenging each other. Harry indicated for her to go first. "Ladies first."

Sue shook her head. "The day you consider me a lady is the day you can take me to a broom closet. It's a violin," Sue said to the raven head.

"That seemed too easy for you two," the head said before the wall opened to reveal a door.

"We'll try to be more stumped next time," he told their house guardian. "About the broomcloset…"

"In your dreams," she deadpanned, not looking impressed.

The raven cawed at him. Harry eyed Sue up. She was a little thin and didn't really have any curves that he found attractive. "You are not my type."

Sue laughed as she entered the tower. "Good. I like them broader of shoulder anyways," she shot back as they split to head towards their rooms.

By the time Harry made it down to the great hall, dinner was in full swing. Looking around, he found Hannah about a third of the way down the Hufflepuff table. She was talking with Susan, Megan and Justin. Looking at Hannah talking with Justin had a strange twang in him wanting him to reach towards his wand. He had to fight the urge down as he moved towards the Hufflepuff table. They were all allowed to sit where they wanted, except on Saturday dinners and a few feast days every year. He hadn't understand Saturday until Hermione had found that Saturday nights used to be formal nights for the students to get used to more formal meals. That had ended decades ago, but wizards were nothing but traditional at times, thus Saturdays were still smart dress and eat at your own tables.

As he approached, Susan caught his eye, giving him a huge smile as he came up to them. "Mind if I join you tonight?"

"Please do," Susan said.

"It's a free spot," Megan remarked, giving him an interested look.

Hannah just smiled at him. Justin nodded his head. "Potter."

"Finch-Fletchley," he said.

Susan rolled her eyes. "Why do you two insist on doing that? We've been friends with Harry for a while now."

"It's only proper," the usually stuffy boy said.

"What he said," Harry agreed. Personally, he didn't care for the boy, and even less so now.

Susan looked at him expectantly as he filled his plate. "So, what brings you here tonight? Usually, you only eat with us when you want something," the redhead asked.

Harry looked up to her. Susan Bones was an incredibly attractive person. He liked her dark red hair, the freckles on her face and even though he wasn't into girls with huge chests, he had to admit there was something in her curves that had his imagination kick in. On top of that, she was naturally bubbly and open. A rather perfect match for Hannah, but below that the girl had a fighting instinct that he had a hard time countering when in DADA. He wasn't that surprised to know her aunt was head of the DMLE. She was also really good at puzzling things out, like a detective. If she wasn't so friendly and loyal to her friends, Harry could have seen her in Ravenclaw.

"I can't just sit with people that are nice to me?" Harry asked her, pouring some gravy over his beef.

Hannah was being noticeably quiet.

"You can, but you don't usually," Susan pressed.

"Will you leave the boy alone, Susie," Justin said. "Guys are allowed to keep their secrets too."

Susan laughed. "Oh, it's the whole mysterious bit tonight."

Harry shook his head. "I can't eat before I do business? I'm rather hungry," he told her, putting a large forkful of food into his mouth.

"You eat like you are on the quidditch team," Megan said. "Did you see the scores last weekend? Your Arrows lost."

Harry shrugged and swallowed before he answered. "I only root for the Arrows because I was able to go to a game of theirs last summer."

Professor Flitwick had been kind enough to treat him out to a game after the tournament they had gone to in Germany. It was one of two times he had been taken from the orphanage over the summer. Flitwick hadn't known he had lived in the Wool's Orphanage in London until then and had referred Harry to the Underage Wizards department in the DMLE. They had supposedly been looking into his parents will. A month ago, he had been contacted by them to be told that everyone in the will that should have taken him were not available. Basically, meaning that everyone his parents had wanted to leave him with were dead, permanently disabled in St Mungo's, or hated him, like the Longbottoms. They had said they would look into finding a family to place him with.

For a few months, Harry had let an old hope build in him. He thought he might actually get out of the orphanage before he turned seventeen, but those hopes had been dashed. With less than three years before he could leave, he didn't think he wanted to be placed anywhere anymore.

"They have a few good chasers, but nothing like the Harpies. Are you going to sit with us next week? We are playing Slytherin," Megan asked.

Harry shrugged. "I usually study in the library."

"You should come," Hannah said. "Megan is on the team."

Harry looked to Hannah. Susan scrunched her brow at her best friend, as though confused about something. "So, have you asked anyone to the Yule Ball yet?" Susan asked.

"Not yet," Harry said, putting his bread down. With an internal sigh, he turned to look at Megan. Hannah was just behind her and was looking everywhere but at Harry. Susan looked suddenly excited. "Megan, are you going with anyone?"

The bouncy redhead suddenly stopped. The happy smile on her face turned into shock. Megan rose an eyebrow at him, shared a look at Susan, then looked behind her. Hannah didn't look up but nodded her head. After a moment, Megan turned back to him. "You know I like to talk about quidditch, right?"

"I know. Maybe you can try to convince me how good a game it is?" Harry put to her.

Megan gave a look to Susan again. Harry glanced to the redhead. She looked flabbergasted. Harry felt confused by the reactions of the friends. Justin leaned over, "I think you broke them all," he said in a loud whisper.

"You should go," Hannah said before getting up.

Megan looked to the blonde. She looked very unsure as Hannah walked away. Susan suddenly cast a mean glare to him before taking off after Hannah. Megan turned back to him. "I'm sorry, Harry. I need to get back to you," she said, taking off after the other too.

Harry felt totally flummoxed. "What did I do?" he asked, looking to Justin.

The boy shrugged his shoulders. "No bloody clue, but I think you are in trouble."

"Bloody hell," Harry muttered, unsure what he had done. He didn't like the way his stomach had clenched to see how Hannah looked. She had told him to do this.

A dark hair boy sat next to Harry and pulled up a plate. "What did you do to make them upset?" Wayne Hopkins asked.

"Don't look at me. It was Potter," Justin said.

"What did you say?"

"I asked Megan to the Yule Ball," Harry said, starting to get a feeling that Hannah hadn't wanted him to.

"Oh," was all Wayne said.

"Yeah, what I thought," Justin remarked.

Harry looked at them. "What did I do?"

Justin shook his head. "I think Hannah wanted you to ask her."

Harry scrunched his brow. "Isn't she going with you?"

Justin shook his head. "She said no when I asked a few days ago. I'm going with Mandy Brocklehurst now."

Harry's brow scrunched as he looked towards the doors. Why would Hannah say she would be going with Justin and tell him to ask Megan?

"Tough luck, mate. Hannah's had a crush on you for a while," Wayne told him.

Harry frowned. "Bloody hell."

-oOo-

The next time on Duel of Fate: Teen drama abounds as Harry meets Luna Lovegood and confronts her bullies.

-oOo-

A/N: For those that decide to stick around, thank you. This will be an epic that will span a few years, a few relationships and the coming civil war in Britain.

I know I have a few other active stories. The Magic of Amber is still very active. Like this one, I hope to keep a two to three week update schedule. Dance of the Veela is still being written, just very slowly due to my muse. No promises that I won't get distracted on smaller shorts, but do plan on completing what I can in 2024.

WolfgangNH, 01 Jan 2024

-oOo-

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