You guys I loved writing this chapter - thank you so much for sticking with me :)
Al was in the library, as she always was, sat in a study group with Theo, Daphne and Draco, all of who were revising for the exams Al didn't have to sit. Instead of revising, or studying for the final task, she was going over the prediction that Trelawny had made, which was scribbled in the centre of a piece of parchment in front of her.
When the chosen one changes paths, Al had no idea what that meant. Who was 'the chosen one' for starters? And what's the changes paths rubbish? A career path maybe?
His connection will take the lead, meant that the chosen one was a boy. His connection could be his soulmate or a relative maybe? And what would they be leading?
Vanquish his greatest opponent, that could mean anything! It could be bloody metaphorical for all Al knew.
By inheriting the burden from All Hallow's Eve, referred to Halloween, but what burden, and who from? And for that matter, who to? The prophecy probably wasn't even about her.
But only through the greatest sacrifice, probably death. Of 'the connection' or a loved one.
Will they succeed. Who was they? THEY? That was so unclear it was absurd.
Al groaned and threw her quill down in frustration, and Theo slammed his book shut. "Will you quit it with that prophecy rubbish?" he said, "You should be studying for the task, or finding out who wanted to do you in."
Al shrugged, "Probably Snape," she said, "Especially since I saw that vision. I bet that's it - I'll have to face off with Snape."
"Don't be ridiculous," Daphne scolded, apparently looking for a reason to stop studying.
"I mean it!" Al said, "Snape is probably the person who wants to do me in the most!" They quietened down as Madame Pince walked by, glaring.
"OK, so we'll add Snape to the list," Draco said, "Obviously no one from Durmstrang or Beauxbatons," he listed, "And Moody said no Hogwarts student could confund it. So who else? Dumbledore?"
"Maybe," Theo said, "Maybe he found out about our third side."
"No, that doesn't make sense," Al said, "Why would he ask me to run the duelling club and defend myself better? Speaking of, have you all signed up for the tournament after the holidays?"
"Yeah," Draco said, and Daphne and Theo nodded.
"So, any other teachers want to do you in?" Daphne asked.
"No, I'm a bit of a suck up," Al said sadly.
"You got that right," Draco laughed, and Al hit him with a book.
"Well, what about Moody? You said something about him on Halloween?" Theo asked.
"I mean, I suspected him at first...but I just think he's just a bit wacky in the head. You know?" They all nodded in agreement, before going back to their respective tasks.
*****
Al clambered up to the duelling platform nervously. There were loads of people that had come to watch the tournament. It was mid-April, and the Duelling club had booked out the Great Hall for the whole afternoon. There were all the people in both the amateur and advanced clubs, even though only sixteen select students from advanced would be competing, and their friends had come, and even some Beauxbatons and Durmstrang students had come.
The house tables had disappeared, and been replaced with stacked benches around the room for the audience to watch. There was a shimmering protective shield that Flitwick had put up to protect the spectators. The benches were full, save for the bottom row which had been reserved for participants. Down the centre of the room was a long platform, which Al now stood on to address the room.
She waved her hands and the chatter died down. "Welcome, to the Hogwarts Duelling Tournament of nineteen-ninety-five!" There was scattered applause and Al grinned. "The rules are as follows. Participants will only use the spells on the list of twenty, which they have had access to in advance. There will be no contact. Participants will forfeit their match if they move off the platform, tap-out, or can no longer compete. The umpire can stop a match at any time. If participants continue to duel after a match, both will be disqualified. Now," Al finished, "Are we ready for our first match?" There were cheers and claps from the enthusiastic crowd.
"Then we will have our first match of round one! Hermione Granger of Gryffindor and Derek O'Connell of Ravenclaw!" Everyone clapped as the Gryffindor fourth year and Ravenclaw sixth year each got onto the platform and headed to the centre where Al was stood. "You ready?" she asked them, and they both nodded determinedly.
Al made her way off the platform and to the scoreboard, where the match layout was. Four students from each house would have one match each. The winners would then play each other until they had a victor. "Bow," she announced and the two participants obliged, before walking towards the ends of the platform. "Three," Al said, and they raised their wands, "Two...one!"
On one, Hermione cast an immobulus and O'Connell summoned a shield. Hermione continued to bombard and weaken the shield with various curses and hexes, dodging and ducking as they bounced off and flew into the shield protecting the crowd. Finally, she broke through with a reducto, and O'Connell flew back and landed on the platform with a thud. The crowd gasped and stood up to see if he was ok, but he twitched on the floor and stood up.
Hermione raised her wand to cast another hex, but O'Connell was faster. He fired a duro, and Hermione turned to stone where she stood. The Ravenclaws in the room cheered as O'Connell limped off the platform as the victor and Madame Pomfrey levitated Hermione away to the side chamber that Al had been in when her name was called from the Goblet of Fire.
"So we have our first winner - Derek O'Connell!" There were more cheers as Al wrote his name down for the next round. "Next up - Draco Malfoy of Slytherin and Rhonda Fladbury of Hufflepuff!"
*****
Al faced off against Battersby from Ravenclaw and won, allowing her to continue into round two. That left herself, O'Connell, Draco, Harry, Daphne, Fred Weasley, who had beaten Theo, Ernie Macmillan and George.
O'Connell beat Draco by blasting him into and almost out of a window after Draco had got rid of his shield the same way Hermione had. Harry beat Daphne after she tapped out when he broke her arms. Fred beat Macmillan by making him tap dance off the platform and forcing Flitwick to rush after him. And finally Al beat George by hanging him upside down, levitating him in the air and then throwing him into the crowd when he made a joke about the view.
In round three, O'Connell only just beat Harry after he slipped from dodging the fireball that he'd fired. That had been easily the longest and most exciting duel yet, because O'Connell had spent all his time dodging and blocking Harry's rapid fire disarming spells. Al beat Fred very quickly by conjuring a huge flock of birds and making them fly at him, blocking his view, and then stunning him gently, so that he was only knocked out and didn't die.
Which meant that the final round was O'Connell versus Al. Flitwick was umpiring because Al was playing. She marched to the centre to face the sixth year that towered over her. On Flitwick's command, they bowed, and then walked to their opposing ends of the platform. On 'three' Al raised her wand, with her elbow back behind her ear.
On 'one', Al cast the most powerful stunner she could, which missed O'Connell by an inch. She then blocked and dodged as he fired spell after spell her way, clearly taking a leaf out of Harry's book. When Al heard a depulso, she let it hit her. She flew back in the air, swooping gracefully and firing a body bind as she did. This must look bloody brilliant, she thought as she landed in a roll and stood up quickly.
O'Connell had cast a shield to block the hex, putting him just where Al wanted him. She opened into a rapid fire of weak stunners, using it as a distraction to get into the perfect position. Then, in one quick movement, before he could react, she aimed a forceful rictumsempra at the high wall behind him.
It ricocheted off, and just as O'Connell turned around, it hit him squarely in the chest. He doubled over laughing, falling on the floor and dropping his wand. Al fired a weak reducto, and he flew backwards off the platform, where Madame Pomfrey quickly reversed the spell.
He stood up and brushed himself off, before walking back onto the platform and shaking her hand. "Really good game, Al," he said, "I've really enjoyed it, this year - thanks!"
Al grinned, "No problem. Good game to you too."
Flitwick was bobbing excitedly on the stage, levitating a golden cup in front of him. The plaque on it read: Alexandra Dursley, Duelling Champion '95. "Congratulations to Al Dursley of Slytherin!" Everyone cheered and she grinned breathlessly, looking out at the crowd. Daphne, Theo and Draco were stood together clapping, George stood next to Fred, nursing a bruise she'd given him, and Harry was stood with Ron and Hermione, the latter of which looked a little sour, but clearly happy that Al had beat O'Connell for her.
Happiness and pride swelled inside her like a hot air balloon. Her hard work had clearly paid off.