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CHAPTER EIGHTY THREE:
Albus had once had an amused respect for Rita Skeeter, but now he wanted nothing more than to squash her like the bug she was. How dare she interrogate him, filling a book with her lies? That they were true statements taken under Veritaserum mattered to him not a bit. Oh, how he wished he could curse her in the back, but with magic-suppressant cuffs around his wrists he couldn't even manage a Lumos as the heavily warded door closed behind her, leaving him chained to a metal chair.
Oh, Gellert, if you could see me now, he thought with angry regret. Instead of freeing you as I was supposed to, giving you a second chance to better this world, I am locked up with my magic suppressed just as you are…
Closing his eyes, Albus let go of the rage and used his Occlumentic skills to restore peace to his mind. He would bide his time and wait for the right time to strike. If they thought that a Dumbledore would go down without a fight they were dead wrong.
OoOoO
That evening Harry joined Severus for dinner in the Great Hall, and they were discussing Severus's classes when Harry noticed Minerva's strange expression: She was frowning at her plate as though trying to figure out what was on it. Before he could ask what the matter was, though, the doors to the Great Hall opened and a tall wizard strode in, his hair grey and his close beard carefully maintained. Harry realized that Minerva must have felt the man enter Hogwarts - he remembered the strange tingling sensation from his own brief time as Hogwarts Headmaster, but in the future Bill had cast a lot of wards around Hogwarts that not only alerted Harry to the intruder but let him know who it was long before they reached the castle.
Then the man strode up to Gryffindor table, and the glove dangling from his hand made Harry sit up tensely, knowing what was about to happen. When the stranger slapped the younger Harry across the face sharply and declared, "I challenge you to a duel, Lord Potter," Harry was quick to stand.
"I accept." The words rang out decisively as the hall watched with bated breath.
"I challenged the Lord Potter," the stranger said impatiently, turning to the Head Table with a frown.
"And as the senior Lord Potter, all challengers will face me," Harry replied blandly. "We will take this outside."
Without waiting for a response Harry strode down the Great Hall, hearing Severus's steps not far behind him and the scraping of chairs as the other teachers stood to follow. When Harry passed the man he gave him a level look that clearly told the man he expected him to accompany him, and the stranger ground his teeth but turned on his heel. To Harry's relief the man fell in step beside him instead of falling behind, where he wouldn't have been able to see him – he trusted Severus with his back, but he preferred to see his opponent. That this way they might look like equals was not lost on him, but Harry intended to change that – and soon.
As they spilled out onto the green the teachers slowed, limiting the students following behind them to the front steps and some of the grass before it. Harry and the stranger meanwhile walked until a good distance was put between them and the onlookers (though Harry felt that the man had intended to duel in the Great Hall, he was not so keen on seeing any students injured), then moved apart to stand facing each other.
"First blood," Harry said, no question in his voice – for as the challenged it was his right to specify what shape the duel would take. His opponent simply nodded tightly, and Harry turned his head towards the castle without taking his eyes off the man. "Filius, would you referee? It's a duel to first blood." His voice carried easily to the watching group, and a moment later the Charms Master stepped forward.
"To first blood," the part-goblin said clearly. "You may begin."
As soon as the words had left the professor's mouth Harry was sprinting towards his challenger, knowing with piercing clarity one thing: He had to make this as obvious a win as possible, or he would have more challengers than he cared for. A burst of magic left his wand at the same time as he took his first sprinted step forward, and the wind spell pushed his opponent back and off balance, forcing him to take more than one step back before he was able to right himself and raise his wand – but by then Harry was already right in front of him, a spell first disarming the man, then nicking his cheek with a light cutting spell. That move was not allowed on the dueling circuit, Harry knew, due to the precision needed to avoid taking out the opponent's eye, but using it here would put him in good stead with anyone who knew that fact.
"First blood!" Filius declared as Harry followed up by placing his wand at the man's neck, pointing squarely at his Adam's apple.
"Do you concede defeat?" Harry asked lowly, knowing that the audience wouldn't hear it but also knowing the effect of a more dangerous tone on a defeated opponent. The man's Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed.
"I do," he said, and his face was pale.
Harry stepped back wordlessly, lowering his wand and summoning the stranger's wand to his hand. "What is your name, challenger?" he asked somewhat belatedly, and the man's eye twitched at the revelation that his opponent hadn't even known who he was.
"Lord Jecht," he answered in clipped tones, extending his hand. "My wand."
Harry raised his eyebrows slightly at the disrespect, deciding that this man needed to be put in his place. "It is only because you could not hope to match me that I am not going to demand compensation as the winner of this duel," he said mildly, and the Lord paled dramatically, knowing that as the challenged one Harry could have demanded everything the man owned. Pureblood customs were strange that way. "Challenge me a second time and I will not be so lenient." Handing the man his wand he spun and walked away, knowing that to turn his back was the greatest insult he could offer – which was precisely why he did it. The man couldn't hope to defeat him, and they both knew it.
"That was far too easy," Severus said later in their quarters, his blank face hiding his worry. "You were right to deal with Jecht as quickly as possible, but I fear that there may be further attempts on your life, both covert and overt."
"I know," Harry sighed, dropping into an armchair. "If we're lucky the next attempt will be another open challenge, made by someone who'll be able to put up a bit of a fight..."
Severus nodded, but the worry didn't leave him. Personally he doubted that anyone would openly challenge Harry after this, and he knew that the next logical step would be assassins – or attacks on Harry's loved ones.
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