[Harry]

The trio trudged out the dining hall and went toward the lift. They made their way to training room W.

Harry embraced the familiar warm feeling of training room W. They were finally starting Practical Defense again, his favorite and best subject.

Amira smirked at the singe mark and Harry laughed along with her. Chris rolled his eyes.

Training room W looked nothing like a training room. It was full of couches, colorful beanbag chairs, and plush pillows. It was decorated that way partly because the beanbags and pillows were excellent for target practice, also that during the courses the three of them were thrown across the room so often it only seemed sensible.

"D'you reckon Bardin will make us do a round of battle?"

As if on cue, Auror Donovan Bardin came strolling into the room. "Long time no see, the three of you."

Chris and Harry greeted him with 'hello sir' and Amira used 'good afternoon, Auror Bardin.'

He was tall, slim, and with brown hair and a slightly balding head, and a goatee. He also had the most amazing bodily reflexes Harry had ever seen.

Bardin glanced at the gaping black singe mark on the wall. "Ah, the mark still there, eh?" he chuckled. Harry caught Amira's eye and looked away quickly, biting his tongue.

"Though I have to admit, that was some impressive magic, Mr. Paisible."

Chris' expression was a cross of embarrassment and conceit.

"This is your third and last year, as I trust many of your instructors have already lectured you about. We will start with a round of battle to see if you have improved or rather slacked off. I will be picking up from the level you three appear to be on."

Chris' prediction came true. The trio experiencedly huddled together.

"Whose turn is it?" Harry whispered.

"I think it's me," Chris said.

"No, it's me. Stop trying to be the lucky one, you always do that." Amira scolded.

A round of 'battle' was what Bardin liked to do before and after a series of sessions. The trio took turns to duel in pairs until Bardin called, while he and the other person observed. 'The lucky one' was the person that didn't have to duel twice in a row.

"The lucky one's me, sir," Amira said as the three of them broke apart.

"Very well. Ferox, Paisible, you're up. Potter, over here."

He wished both of them luck and jogged over to the side of the room. "Protego Totalum... Protego Maxima..." Bardin muttered, enclosing them both and the medicine cabinet behind a strong shield.

"The rules are the same. You are free to use anything around the room for offense or defense. Everything besides Unforgivables, Memory Charms of any kind, and Dark Magic is allowed. Explosive curses are only to be used on objects."

Bardin looked to Chris, then to Amira. "Wands at the ready! You too, Potter."

Harry obeyed, preparing to react if the powerful shield broke under untimely circumstances. He could feel the adrenaline rush coursing through his veins as he gripped his wand tightly and watched Chris and Amira draw theirs, glaring determinedly and each other.

"DUEL!"

"Expelliarmus!" "Petrificus Totalus!" "Stupefy!" "Protego!" "Finite Incantatem!" "Diffindo!"

Jets of light flew everywhere, occasionally bouncing off the protective shield surrounding Bardin and Harry. The pair dodged and attacked, aiming spells at each other.

There was a long gash on Amira's arm and Chris' pantleg was torn. "Reducto!" Chris dove behind a couch just in time before Amira blew up a beanbag in his face. She took that as an advantage and screamed "Expelliarmus!"

The spell hit him in his forehead and Chris' wand flew out of his hand. His body was thrown backward and he hit the wall.

"CALL!" Bardin roared.

The pair stopped. Of all the 'battles' they had; this was by far the most action-involved.

"Finite!" The protective bubble vanished and they stepped out.

"Potter, room."

Harry stood in the middle of the room, repairing the five blown-up beanbags, mending the sliced couches, and putting everything back to place, while Bardin tended to Amira and Chris.

"Dittany, Murtlap, blood-replenishing."

"Yes, sir."

Harry summoned the three bottles and they flew out of the medicine cabinet, landing on Bardin's outstretched hand.

Half an hour later, after Chris and Amira were fully rested and Bardin wasting no time to analyze how Chris could deflect Amira's curse and use it to his advantage, Harry stood face to face with Chris, wands drawn.

"DUEL!"

"Incarcerous!"

Harry dodged Chris' curse easily and shot a Stunning spell at him. He missed by an inch and deflected Chris' disarming spell. "Volatilis Lutum!"

Harry shot a beanbag at him without missing a beat as Chris clutched his bat-bogied nose. It flew right into his face and Harry managed to flee Chris' full body-bind before yelling, "Stupefy!"

It only hit a fraction of Chris' elbow so he toppled over, still conscious. Harry didn't hesitate to use the split-second to scream, "Impedimenta!"

The jinx finally hit Chris in the chest and he went rigid before Harry disarmed him and summoned his wand.

"CALL! Ferox, room."

Harry literally couldn't stop thanking Ginny for teaching him the Bat-Bogey hex.

Another half-hour later, Harry stood in the middle of the room again, aching slightly but good enough to duel, in front of Amira Ferox.

Now Harry was nervous. He always felt nervous before dueling Amira, she was extremely skilled. If he had a peer competitor in Defense, it was Amira Ferox. He had been wondering ever since they met where she had been all the time when they needed her in the D.A. He had to give it to her, she was good. It was rare for a witch or wizard to get so skillful without direct experience but he would always remember the first time they dueled in first-year training: it ended with Amira levitating him into the air and slamming him into the wall.

"Wands at the ready!"

"Good luck," Amira whispered. It felt genuine but it sent a chill down his spine.

"DUEL!"

"Expelliarmus!" they yelled at the same time.

They both dodged and Harry shot an array of Bat-Bogey and Stunning spells at her but she deflected each and every one of them easily.

Harry had to switch to defense because Amira's spells kept hurtling toward him. One of her spells hit Harry's shield charm and bounced back to her, hitting herself with a Jelly-leg jinx.

He took the chance and fired a curse at her but she managed to dive and counter-spell her legs at the same time. Soon, they were both up to their feet again.

They were dueling fiercely and they both had minor cuts all over their bodies by the time Harry swerved to deflect another full body-bind.

A disarming spell hit Harry in his trainers and he doubled back, still able to grip his wand in his hands. He tried to stun her but another disarming spell shot toward him. This time, it hit Harry squarely in his abdomen and he soared backward, hitting a couch, his wand slipping out of his hand.

They both stopped, seeing most of the time this was the cue for Bardin to yell 'call.' He did not.

They only hesitated for a split second before Harry dove sharply to retrieve his wand and Amira shooting him with a Leg-Locker curse.

But he reached to his wand in time before his legs were bound. "Petrificus Totalus!" he shouted from the floor. Amira didn't see it coming. It hit her in the shoulder and she toppled over, stiff as stone.

"CALL!"

Though half of his body and all of Amira's was bound, they were both panting heavily.

"Paisible, room."

Both of them were lying on the ground as Bardin helped them with the counter-jinx. He could tell Episkey was cast all over his body as he felt like a human sauna, suddenly very hot and the next second suddenly very cold.

They both lounged on one of the repaired couches as they recovered, drinking herbal tea while Bardin enthusiastically lectured them all about their previous duel.

"Wow, what a day," Chris yawned as he sprawled on one of the couches after Bardin left at five o'clock. This was the first time the three of them hung out after training together.

"You always say that after battling," Harry commented, his body fully engulfed by five beanbags.

"You two's battle was totally awesome, by the way," Chris said to them in slight awe.

"I like battles. I think Bardin always has some good analysis after a duel." Amira chirped, lying on the rug in the middle.

"Easy for you to say, you're not the one levitated into the air and slammed into the wall." Chris retorted drily. Yes, that was Amira's signature move, and yes, she also had done it to Chris.

Harry laughed. "You did give me quite a shock on our first Defense class."

Amira chuckled. "Sorry, but you've got to admit, it's a killer move." She sat up. "Hey, do you guys want to grab a drink together at the Leaky?"

"Sounds great, I could use a drink," Chris mumbled sleepily.

"Oh- I, I can't," Harry said.

"Why?"

"Er, I have a thing."

"What thing?" Amira challenged suspiciously.

"Just- a thing. A dinner thing."

"Oh. Merlin." Amira gasped. "You have a date!"

"Why do girls always have such bloody accurate instincts?!" Harry yelled.

"Good for you, bro," Chris muttered carelessly.

Amira started to squeal like Hermione and Harry threw a beanbag at her to shut her up.

"Shhh! No one can know!"

She was giggling. "Yes, I won't tell."

"Promise?"

"Yes, I promise," she said, her voice about ten octaves higher.

"You too, Chris." Harry pointed his finger at him.

"Harry, I want you to remember what I'm about to say by heart: I. Don't. Give. A. Tiny. Rat's. Arse."