Order of the Phoenix
Practical Fighting
By Ruskbyte
Chapter Six
~ Practical Fighting Techniques ~
Why am I not surprised that they're acting this way? Harry wondered.
*Well, you did drop something of a bombshell on them.*
Guess so.
All told the Practical Fighting Techniques auditorium was in the throes of loudly declared shock, disbelief, outrage and pretty much everything else. Half the students were staring at Harry with wide eyes and even wider mouths, the rest where babbling furiously - particularly the Slytherins who looked ready to rebel outright. Even the teachers, who had come to satisfy their curiosity about the new subject, were objecting. McGonagall was calling loudly upon Dumbledore to explain what was happening, and Snape seemed on the point of having an attack.
"Shut up."
Silence instantly fell across the large room, unbelievably strong in its intensity. Harry stood calmly and watched as several people continued to bluster and rant for several seconds before they realized no sound was escaping their mouths. He had cast a powerful silencing charm over the auditorium and everyone inside it. Not even the teachers would be able to break it.
"Now that I have your complete attention," Harry said, his voice ringing loudly in the silence, "allow me to explain the rules you will adhere to whilst in my class."
He smiled thinly as his green eyes roved over his stunned audience. "I will not tolerate any outbursts during my lessons. Not from any student…" Harry rested his gaze on a livid, silently fuming Professor Snape. "…or guest."
Harry glanced at Ron, Hermione and Ginny. The three were sitting in the Gryffindor section, eyes on him and looking to be in various degrees of shock. Ron's mouth was gaping open; Hermione was blinking so rapidly he wondered how she could see and Ginny... Ginny looked as if she was trying to decide if she should run down and smack him or kiss him.
"You will speak only when spoken to," he continued. "If you have anything to say or ask, raise your hand and wait for me to acknowledge you. If you step out of line, well…" Harry paused for an ominous second, looking right at Draco Malfoy. "I have alerted Madam Pomfrey to be prepared to receive patients."
He sneaked a quick at Dumbledore, who seemed quite amused by Harry's "teaching" methods so far.
"Is this understood?" he asked, watching as most of the thoroughly subdued students and teachers nodded their heads in mute agreement.
"Good."
He gave his wand a casual wave and removed the silencing charm. Immediately several hundred hands shot into the air, seeking permission to speak and ask just what in Merlin's name was going on. Instead of answering anything, Harry pulled a short roll of parchment from his robe and placed it on the podium, starting to read from it. Without looking up he was aware of four spots of light appearing on the stage, surrounding him on all sides, just about fifty feet away.
"Will Professors McGonagall, Sprout, Flitwick and Snape please come down and stand at any of the four places indicated?" he asked, indicating the four positions.
Slowly, and somewhat reluctantly, the four professors made their way onto the stage, taking up positions around Harry. Directly in front of him was Sprout, to his left was Flitwick, to his right Snape, which left McGonagall behind him. Harry nodded his approval once they were placed. Immediately twelve other positions lit up, three between each of the teachers.
"Now, will the following students please step down and take up a place?"
Harry looked at the section where the Slytherins were sitting. "Mr Malfoy." He smiled at Malfoy's expression of surprise and called out two other names as the pale boy rose from his seat and made his way to the stage. "Mr Crabbe and Mr Goyle."
Next Harry turned to the Gryffindors. "Messrs. Fred and George Weasley. Mr Jordan."
"Mr Finch-Fletchley. Mr Stein. Ms Jordan," were called down from Hufflepuff
And Ravenclaw provided: "Ms Chang. Mr Renault. Ms Yeager."
Finally the twelve students were on the stage, naturally taking places closest to the heads of their houses. Thus the Hufflepuff students were standing by Professor Sprout, in front of him, the Slytherins were by Snape, at his right, the Ravenclaws at his left with Flitwick and the Weasley twins, alongside their friend Lee Jordan, were arrayed behind him.
Harry tapped the podium once with his wand, and it quickly and silently sank into the floor, so completely seamless and flush in placement that it was only distinguished from the surrounding stage floor in that it was a shade darker in colour. Harry slowly prowled around the edge of the sixty or so foot wide circle of sixteen waiting witches and wizards surrounding him.
"Four teachers, the heads of the four houses. Twelve students, taken from those houses, all with different degrees of talent and experience," he spoke as he finished his lap of inspection and returned to stand in the centre of the large stage.
"You will all be fighting me," he told them, "simultaneously."
Hushed whispers and murmurs swept over the onlookers, surprise and disbelief etched on the faces of everyone watching. Those teachers attending, but not on the stage, were staring at him in wide-eyed consternation. Harry could see Remus Lupin's mouth opening and closing without making a sound. Even Dumbledore, who was usually unflappable, seemed taken aback by Harry's announcement. As for those on the stage...
"What?" exclaimed Malfoy, looking incredulously at him. "Come off it, Potter. You can't honestly think you can beat all of us."
Some quick glances around him confirmed that the others were thinking much the same. Fred and George clearly thought this was a grand joke of some sort; McGonagall was alternately gaping at Harry and glaring at the twins; Justin was shaking his head; Sprout seemed completely dumbstruck; the two Ravenclaw seventh years were staring at him as if he were mad; their head of house, Flitwick, was twittering excitedly and Cho Chang was looking at him funny... Harry turned to look Malfoy in the eyes.
"Yes, Mr Malfoy, that is precisely what I think. I am going to beat all sixteen of you," he told the pale Slytherin, smiling wickedly as he did so. "And what's more, I fully intend to do it without getting so much as a scratch."
Again Harry left the centre and starting pacing around and explained, "Your objective is simple; hit me with everything and anything you've got, the only exception being the three Unforgivable Curses. Other than that, you have free rein to do whatever you like or can think of."
He finished pacing. "It's open season. No holds barred, no punches pulled."
Harry pointed to where Dumbledore was sitting in his elevated chair. "We start when Professor Dumbledore rings the bell." There was a large bronze bell resting on the table in front of the headmaster. "We finish when I'm laid out cold or when all sixteen of you are incapacitated. Any questions?"
The students and teachers exchanged disbelieving looks, clearly wondering exactly what the catch was, because there had to be one. Nobody challenged sixteen people to a duel, especially when four of them were experienced Hogwarts teachers. Finally, it was Snape that spoke up.
"No holds barred, Potter? Free rein?" asked Snape, sneering wickedly.
Harry locked eyes with the Potions Master. "Do your worst," he challenged, drawing his wand.
Snape deliberately, and with clear relish, withdrew his wand from the folds of his robe, quickly followed by Malfoy and the other two Slytherin boys. After a moment the other three teachers and their students also drew their wands and nodded their readiness. Harry smiled and looked over to Dumbledore and gave a sharp nod.
"Professor Dumbledore? Whenever you feel like it."
The aged wizard nodded and cleared his throat, picking up his wand, which had been lying before him on the tabletop. Slowly and deliberately he held the wooden stick by the bronze bell and then gave a sharp rap, producing a loud and clear chime that echoed throughout the auditorium.
"Ignis Fatuus Ad Infinitum!" exclaimed Harry, before the ringing had even reached its peak.
There was a flash of white light and when it cleared, after a second, everyone who was watching gasped in surprised amazement. Those who were supposed to be attacking paused in bewilderment and confusion. Harry was no longer alone, or rather, half a dozen Harry Potters were standing in the centre of the stage where there had once been only one. Before anyone could react all six burst into action, running, ducking, jumping and rolling about the stage.
Harry grinned with satisfaction as he came out of his forward roll, only ten feet away from Professor Sprout. The charm he had used produced illusionary copies of the caster, the perfect thing for creating distractions. They weren't solid and when hit by a curse or hex they would vanish without a trace, but Harry had tweaked the spell a little and now whenever one illusion Harry disappeared another two would take its place.
"Naturam Expellas!" Harry shouted with a sharp upwards sweep of his wand. Instantly a mass of thick, fleshy vines burst around the startled Herbology professor, sweeping her in a tight grip that prevented any movement. With a yelp, Sprout found herself shooting into the air as the vines connected with the auditorium's ceiling and left her swaying and dangling helplessly above the stage.
*Nice touch, trussing up the Herbology professor with a plant.*
Appropriate, Quetz, don't you think?
However several, if not most, of his opponents had noticed Sprout's incapacitation and had turned their wands and accompanying curses in Harry's direction. Harry ducked to one side and quickly rolled away from where he had been crouching, confident that his attackers would lose him in the chaos engulfing the stage. Already there were nearly two dozen illusions of Harry running amok, all seeming perfectly real, until they disappeared.
Chuckling, Harry wove a restriction into the spell, limiting the number of duplicates to a maximum of three dozen. He jumped back as a curse shot past him, just grazing the invisible and nearly impregnable shield he had cast around him. Running across the stage he approached the four Slytherins, all firing off slews of nasty curses. He ducked low and came in next to Crabbe, who failed to notice him until it was too late.
Harry dropped to the floor and spun round, his leg sweeping into Crabbe and sending the bulky boy crashing down. Harry was on his feet and up before Crabbe even hit the floor, firing a simple Stunner as he rose. "Stupefy!"
*Good technique. Better get clear though.*
Malfoy and Snape were the first to pick up on their fellow's fall, both swivelling to fire off a curse at Harry. Unfortunately they had both targeted the same Harry, who turned out to be one of the multitude of illusions cluttering things up. The first curse hit the illusion dead centre, causing it to vanish, just as the second curse cleaved through the air. Without an illusion to stop it, the curse hit Goyle square in the chest and knocked him off his feet, unconscious.
This is fun, observed Harry, now on the opposite side of the stage, by the Ravenclaw students. He aimed his wand at Barbara Yeager, a pretty seventh-year girl with curly brown hair and hazel eyes, who had just cursed three illusionary Harrys in three different ways.
"Cogito Dementat!"
An instant later she discarded her wand and physically attacked her fellow seventh-year, Bill Renault, who had been standing beside her. Renault was shocked and took several sharp blows to the chest and jaw before collecting himself enough to stun her.
"Visersa Reflectii," Harry hissed while the boy was distracted. As Yeager fell limply to the floor, Harry sneaked up to Renault and tapped his shoulder. Renault whirled about and had his wand level with Harry's chest, firing off another stunner, unaware that Harry had cast a reflecting spell upon him. The older boy promptly joined Yeager on the floor, victim of his own curse.
*You're right, this is fun.*
Wait and see, Loki, I'm just getting warmed up.
Ducking away from the two remaining Ravenclaws and into the crowd of Harrys littering the stage, Harry took careful aim. "Expelliarmus!" Almost instantly the curse, hardly slowed even after it had passed through and dissipated three illusionary Harrys, struck its intended target.
The curse hit Snape with such force the professor was knocked off his feet and sent flying back a good ten or twelve yards, his wand wrenched from his hand. "Ferris Solidificus Bindus!" declared Harry as the winded Potions Master struggled to his hands and knees. Instantly two pairs of iron manacles grew from the stage floor, clamping down on Snape's wrists and ankles before he even knew they were there.
*Oh,* observed a female voice, *into bondage are you, Harry?*
Hardly, Miko, but I think Snape is, if you're interested, he replied with a smirk.
*Eew! Forget I asked."
Harry turned his attention back to the three Hufflepuff students, who seemed more determined to get their head of house down than trying to get Harry. His eyes fell upon Justin Finch-Fletchley, who was trying unsuccessfully to remove the vines suspending Sprout above them. A wicked smile crossed Harry's lips.
"Serpensortia!" he yelled, drawing Justin's attention as he had planned. Justin remembered all too well the last time he had heard that particular curse being used. He spun around to find a twenty foot long python slithering rapidly towards him.
~Disarm and restrain him,~ Harry ordered the snake. ~Don't bite.~
A moment later, accompanied by a shriek of terror, Justin found himself firmly wrapped up in the coils of the snake. Too scared to even think about moving he whimpered as his legs gave out, and he toppled to the ground. This time, he knew, Harry had ordered the snake after him.
As the remaining two Hufflepuffs stared in horror at Justin's snake ensnared form and then set about wildly firing curses at anything moving, Harry turned his attention to the only house, as yet unscathed. His own. Gryffindor. McGonagall, with Fred and George on either side, and Lee standing next to George, was methodically sweeping the stage with hexes.
Ducking and weaving towards them, Harry avoided most of the curses flying about, save one or two which were deflected by his shield. As he reached the four Gryffindors, he saw McGonagall spot him and recognize that he was not an illusion. Before she could do anything, however, he fired off a quick charm which had interesting results.
"Alter Idem!"
A moment later Professor McGonagall collapsed, unconscious, to the floor, having been hit at point blank range by two stunners from Fred and George, who were beaming with delight. Their smiles of triumph quickly faded, however, as the limp body between them changed from the image of an unconscious Harry Potter, which Harry had cast upon her, into a now unconscious Minerva McGonagall.
"Oh-"
"-shit."
Lee Jordon, peering over George's shoulder, winced, "She's going to flay the two of you alive for this, y'know that, right?" Before he could get an answer he found himself staring at a pair of small yellow canaries with oversized heads, who fluttered about.
"I tought I taw a puddy tat!" chirped the one that had been Fred, now perched on McGonagall's left shoulder.
"I did, I did taw a puddy tat!" replied the other, George, who was sitting on her right.
Despite himself Lee burst into laughter. After all the times the two pranksters had turned some unwitting student, usually Neville, into a canary, the irony of this was almost enough to send Lee rolling on the floor.
*You are evil, Harry.*
You have no idea, he smirked, "Vino Dementia!"
A wave of giddy dizziness washed over Lee and a moment later he was rolling on the floor, completely unaware that Harry had just made him drunker than he would ever be again, even on the night of his bachelor party. Soon after that Lee was singing dirty and badly rhyming songs, his participation in the fight unquestionably over.
Suddenly, Harry spotted the diminutive form of Professor Flitwick striding forward into the wild multitude of illusion Harrys. He raised his wand and in a commanding voice shouted, "Aparecium Lux Revelatio Dispersium!"
*There goes our cover.*
There was a bright blue-white flash and slowly, one by one, the Harrys started to flicker and disappear from the stage. Realizing that the Charms professor had managed to nullify his spell, Harry opened fire.
"Wingardium Leviosa Furor!"
It was somehow fitting to watch as the tiny wizard rose twenty feet into the air. Before he could respond, however, the second part of the spell set in, and Flitwick began to twirl about like a spinning top. Within a matter of moments he was a blur of motion, resembling a small tornado as he slowly dropped to the floor. Just before he touched down the spinning stopped and he came to rest gently, passed out from the centripetal force.
*An interesting spin on things.*
Miko's voice sighed, *Terrible pun, Loki.*
By now Harry had hurried into the centre of the stage, the three dozen illusion Harrys now gone, leaving him open and exposed to his four remaining opponents. Still facing where the Ravenclaws had stood, Harry fired a curse at Cho Chang, the cute Asian girl that had at one point been his crush the previous year. "Vis Inertia!" Immediately Cho froze where she was standing, like a statue poised in mid movement.
Harry spun towards the two surviving Hufflepuffs. "Taedium Ennui!" he snapped at Lillian Jordon, no relation to Lee. She was a pretty sixth-year girl with long blonde hair, large blue eyes and round glasses that made her look extraordinarily cute. A moment after the curse hit her, Lillian tucked her wand into her robes, sat down and curled into ball on the floor and drifted to sleep.
"Petrificus Transit Aurum!" this hex was cast before the first one had even hit Lillian. By the time she had started putting her wand away, the sole surviving Hufflepuff, Dave Stein, was almost instantly transformed into a gleaming golden statue, only his eyes remaining normal and able to move.
"Stupefy!" The shouted curse came from Harry's right, and he turned just as it hit him square on the chest. Or would have, had it not been deflected by the powerful shield barrier surrounding Harry. Harry smiled at Malfoy's surprised expression, clearly the Slytherin boy had expected him to topple over and leave him the "winner".
Yeah, and after I do that for him, I'll go and give Voldemort a foot massage.
*Don't get cocky, son,* admonished a stern voice, *If it hadn't been for the shield charm...*
I can handle Malfoy, Rem.
Malfoy stood frozen where he was as Harry slowly approached him, walking with an almost erotic satisfaction in his movements. He was looking at Malfoy from beneath his lashes, and his grin was clearly sending nervous shivers down the pale boy's spine. Finally they were standing almost toe-to-toe, barely a yard between them.
"Remember Mad-Eye Moody?" Harry's grin broadened as he saw the meaning of his words sink in.
With a clatter Malfoy's wand fell to the floor of the stage and Harry looked down, chuckling as he took in the sight of the pure white ferret sitting at his feet. With a flick of his wand the ferret was bobbing gently in the air before him, although a sudden panic had taken hold of it and it was frantically scrabbling about and making small keening noises. Harry shot a glance over to where his friends were sitting and watching.
"So, Malfoy…" He smiled evilly. "Should I make you bounce or not?"
*You are sooo evil.*
I took lessons.
He winked at Ron, who was grinning like a madman and seemed on the verge of blissful rapture. Hermione was trying to scowl in disapproval, but couldn't stop her lips from twitching into a smile as she elbowed Ron in the ribs.
After allowing Draco Malfoy, the amazing bouncing ferret, to writhe in midair for half a minute, as he surveyed the damage inflicted upon the other fifteen "contestants", Harry lowered the poor boy to the ground. Harry strode to his place in the centre of the stage, where the lecturing podium rose out from the floor.
"Finite Incantatem."
Making a broad sweep of the stage Harry watched as the various spells, charms, hexes and curses he had used were negated. Quite amusing was Fred and George's reaction to being relieved of the Tweety Bird transfiguration Harry had applied to them. Only moments before he had done so, the twins had stunned Professor McGonagall, mistakenly believing her to be Harry. Now they were with great reluctance and trepidation deciding which of them would be the one to revive her.
Finally the sixteen teachers and students were all back on their feet and standing in their chosen places, albeit some less steady than others. Harry met the eyes of each one in turn as he gave them a grateful nod and thanks.
"Thank you all for your help," he said. "You may return to your seats now."
As the chosen few made their way off the stage and back to their places throughout the auditorium Harry appraised the expressions of those who had been watching. All-in-all it was much as he had expected to see. Some of them were staring at him in open horror, frightened to think that they were stuck in the same school as a boy who could do all that and not break a sweat. Others were looking on with wide-eyed awe and admiration, Colin Creevey in particular was wearing an uplifted expression on his face. Still more seemed thoughtful, considering what had happened and what it implied, both about Harry and for themselves.
"You have seen what this class is all about," he said. "Tomorrow, those of you who return will learn what it is all about."
He looked towards a pair of fourth-year Gryffindor boys, who seemed excited by the prospect. "I will not be teaching you how to defend yourselves," he told them, nodding towards Remus, who was standing at the back of the auditorium. "That's Professor Lupin's job."
Harry turned his gaze to Dumbledore. "What I will teach you, is how to fight."
"You do not need to be strong," he said, glancing at Crabbe and Goyle, both slumped in their seats, neither looking more than partially recovered from the demonstration.
"You do not need to be fast." Harry turned his gaze to Cho, sitting with her fellow sixth-years in the Ravenclaw section, watching him closely.
"You do not need to be brilliant." He looked at Hermione, who was looking exceptionally nervous about the idea of actively participating in anything like what she had just seen.
"Or good at Transfiguration..." he continued, looking from face to face as he spoke, "or Defence... or Charms... or Potions..."
He drew back and swept his gaze over them all.
"All I need you to be... is willing to work. Willing to listen. Willing to practice. Willing to get back on your feet after I knock you on your arse for the hundredth time."
Harry narrowed his eyes and, with a thin smile, finished this little impromptu speech he had thought up whilst knocking his teachers and classmates around with casual ease.
"By the end of class tomorrow, you will be afraid of me.
"By the end of the week, you will actively dislike me.
"By the end of the month, you will hate my guts with a passion.
"By the end of the year, you will wish you had never met me or that I had never been born.
"But when you come face-to-face with a real, live, Death Eater... you will consider me the best thing that has ever happened to you.
"So..." Harry leaned forward; elbows propped on the podium, and asked, "who's got the nerve to come back down here for tomorrow night's lesson?"
TBC...